Deadly Desire
by XO'MagickMoon'OX
Summary: Riku is a vampire. Sora is a reincarnation of Riku's medieval lover. But what does love have to do with it? Riku's after revenge. RikuxSora
1. Chapter the First

**Deadly Desire**

XO'MagickMoon'OX

**A/N: **I do not own the lyrics to the song "Prevent This Tragedy" by Alkalkine Trio.

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**vam·pire** (vǎm'pīr') _n._  
1. A reanimated corpse that is believed to rise from the grave at night to suck the blood of sleeping people.  
2. A person, such as an extortionist, who preys upon others.  
3. A vampire bat.  
French, from German Vampir, _of Slavic origin_. **vam·pir'ic** (vǎm-pǐr'ǐk) or **vam·pir'i·cal** (-ǐ-kәl) or **vam'pir'ish **(-ǐsh) _adj._

He closed the dictionary with a _fwump_, and it disappeared. He scowled from his perch on the roof of the church. For all of the intelligence that humans seemed to possess, they really were idiotic. Their laughs were idiotic, their smiles were idiotic, their gorgeous blue eyes were idiotic, their ruffled brown messes of hair, their adorable heart-shaped faces…

"You know he doesn't remember you."

Icy, aqua eyes cut a sidelong glare at the speaker. "I know that," the owner of said eyes snarled.

"So, tell me again: why are you doing this?"

"Revenge."

"Surely it runs deeper than that."

"No."

"You're a shallow creature."

"And you're an irritating wench."

"…Touché."

"Do you have everything you need?"

"Yes, I do. Thank you for gathering them for me."

"Just do the spell."

"My, aren't you touchy." At the other's intimidating glare, the raven-haired woman tightened her grip on her bag. "Will you take us?"

"Gladly." The icy eyes turned back to the ground for a fleeting moment before the raven-haired woman was grabbed by her arm, and the two figures disappeared without a trace.

On the sidewalk outside the church, a young brunette was listening to his headphones, humming to the song while he waited for his friend.

_Here we are again,  
With handguns for hearts.  
They had a master plan,  
Wanted to tear us apart.  
Nothing to hold,  
All hope deleted,  
And our demise has been completed now.  
Nowhere left to go but_

_Down.  
The flames of Hell they give me hope I  
Drown  
In oceans of this tragic part of  
Town  
Where nothing's heard for miles but the  
Sound  
Of children wishing they were safely underground._

The lyrics were a little dark for the bright teen, but he liked the song. For some reason, the whole feel of the tune made him smile and want to bounce on the balls of his feet. It held a faint air of nostalgia that was…well, addicting and seductive.

_We are the walking dead,  
We hold this ghost in our arms.  
We take our daily breath,  
And thank our unlucky stars.  
Tried to get by on bread and water,  
Craving blood poured from the altar now.  
Not much left to do but_

_Drown  
In flames of miscommunication.  
Down  
And out and often in search of someone  
Proud  
To translate what we truly dream  
About  
As we lay in this bed thinking out loud—_

"Sora!" 

The brunette looked up to see his redheaded friend running down the sidewalk towards him. He switched off his music and stood from the bench he'd been sitting on. "Hey, Kairi!"

Kairi smiled in greeting. "Ready to go?"

"Uh-huh."

With that, the teens started down the street. The gray clouds hanging over the small coastal town did nothing to deter their sunny moods. Though, for those who spend all of their time in the sunshine, it's hard to feel daunted by anything, really.

Meanwhile, the conspiratorial duo was occupied in the forest on the outskirts of town.

"What color?"

"Blue."

"Why blue?"

The other idly brushed his silver bangs from his eyes, replying nonchalantly, "Because it's his favorite color."

"Oh? You still remember this? Even after _all _these years?" His partner-in-crime coyly stressed the word "all", smiling upon receiving the scowl from the other.

"Of course I do. Just do the spell, Lulu."

Lulu chuckled. "All right, all right. And your color?"

"Green."

"For envy, perhaps? Sickly disdain?"

"For my eyes. It's the only color you have that's close."

Lulu picked through her bag and procured a green cloth and a blue cloth. She looked down at the spread before her, smiling satisfactorily. Turning to her friend, she asked, "Are you going to come in or stay out there?"

"I prefer it out here," was the cool reply.

"Suit yourself. You'd probably taint the energy, anyway." With that, Lulu stood and brushed the dust off her dress. She ignited a match and bent down to light the white candle that was situated at the southern point of her soon-to-be Circle. Lighting it and then the incense sticks placed in the east, she blew out the match and began the rite of invoking the Elements of Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. Snatching the bag of salt from a fold of her ornate dress, she tipped it and began to turn clockwise, drawing a circle in the dirt. The salt passed over the candle she'd lit, then over the bowl of water she had in the west, followed by the pile of stones situated to the north, and then the incense that was burning in the east, ending back at the candle. She turned twice more, mumbling some incantation to herself as she went.

Her silver-haired companion watched with a vague sort of interest as Lulu closed her Circle. At her feet were all of the tools that she needed, prepared with consecration spells—purged of all dirty energy. The flat stone where her tools were laid out—her makeshift altar—was at the head of her circle, facing the west for power from the Element of Water—the Element of love. Riku was very familiar with witchcraft and its traditions, though he was no practitioner of the art. He'd dabbled in it once or twice a century or so ago, but other than that, he only knew what he did about witchcraft from associating with witches. He found them to be very useful, indeed. Even so, the silver-haired one had an unrivaled loathing for humans, and witches were no exception.

Finally, the first rite was completed. Lulu laid her bag of salt behind her as she sat down in front of her altar, sitting cross-legged with her hands on her knees. She took a deep breath before beginning.

She took the blue cloth, folded it in half, and then began to patiently sew them together in the shape of a person, leaving the head open at the top to be filled, kneading her magickal energy into the cloth as she worked. The spell was a long one, but an efficient one. Twenty minutes later, upon finishing her sewing, she cut around the doll with a pair of scissors. Then she took another pouch, which crunched as she grabbed it, and opened the top. Lulu began to take pinches of rosemary from the pouch and stuff the doll. A third of the way full, she stopped and began to stuff it with crushed rose petals, finishing the task with lavender. The last touch—a lock of brown hair—was pushed in the top before Lulu sewed it shut. As she went to work on the second doll, she talked to her companion.

"So, Riku, how is it exactly that you managed to steal this boy's hair?"

Startled from the sudden inquiry after so much wordless silence, Riku snapped, "Wouldn't you like to know."

"That _is _why I'm asking."

"It's not like it was any difficult feat. It was rather easy. He's so oblivious, sometimes, it scares me." Riku's eyes scanned the forest, and he said, as an afterthought, "He's always been rather oblivious."

"Was that a hint of fondness I detected, Riku?"

"Shut-up. It's not like that. Not anymore."

"Yes, so you say."

Soon the second doll was finished, identical to the first save for the color of the cloth and the silver hair inside.

"Hush, now," she whispered, taking the blue doll into her hands. She closed her eyes and pictured the heart-shaped face, the sparkling blue eyes. "Your name is Sora. You are now his true essence." She felt the familiar tingle in the back of her mind as her magick began to seep into the doll. She took the green doll and did the same, saying, "Your name is Riku. You are now his true essence."

Riku cringed at this, feeling somehow violated, even though he'd been the one who'd asked Lulu to do this.

Lulu plucked her red, cotton thread from the altar and held the dolls face to face, tying the thread tightly around their heads and knotting it. She held them again between her hands, infusing them with her magickal intentions. Laying them to the side after a moment, she took the red candle she had sitting on the altar and the rose oil beside it. Using a safety pin, she carved a heart into the base of the candle, the names "Riku" and "Sora" inside. Dabbing the oil on her fingers, she ran them up the length of the candle and back down, all the way around, until it was completely coated. She lit the candle, watching the dancing flame for a moment that seemed to glow in the dim light of sunset.

Taking the dolls again in her hands, she held them tightly, focusing on the energy around her, the desired effect of her spell, and everything else conducive to the success of her rite. For fifteen minutes she sat like this, before holding the dolls over the candle flame.

"_I melt your heart as I melt this wax.  
_Sora_—even as this wax flows,  
So your love glows stronger for _Riku_.  
I melt your heart as I melt this wax.  
Even as this wax flows,  
So your love flows back stronger to _Riku_.  
I melt your heart as I melt this wax.  
Even as this wax flows,  
So you are reminded of all your love for _Riku_.  
I melt your heart as I melt this wax,  
And by fire of love and its molten flow,  
Return, _Sora_, and your love for _Riku_ show.  
I call _Sora_ back to _Riku."

"_So mote it be!_  
_So mote it be!_  
_So mote it be!_"

Riku winced, clutching his chest and sliding silently to his knees. He took a steadying breath and watched as Lulu let the energy ripple outwards before snuffing out the candle and stowing it, along with the dolls and the rose oil, away in a box. She inhaled deeply, letting it out slowly through her mouth, before beginning to gather up her ingredients. She snuffed out her white candle that anchored her circle and doused the incense, dumping the water onto the earth and scattering the stones. Slowly, her Circle was opened.

She rubbed her boots across the salt, going counterclockwise, dissipating it and officially ending the rite. She made her way slowly towards Riku, a faint smile on her lips. "Go to him a week from now," she said. "Seduce him; he won't fight it."

Riku smirked. "Like he could, even without the spell. We all know I'm irresistible."

"Arrogant punk."

Ignoring the insult, Riku was silent for a moment, before murmuring, "Thank you." He took hold of her arm again, and they disappeared, Lulu's energy still hanging in the air as they left.

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**A/N: **Oh, I don't own that spell either. I got it from a kitchen witch website called Pagan Hearth Recipes. And I don't recommend that anyone use it; you'll find out why, later. So, lend me your thoughts? Please? I promise this story gets more interesting as time goes on.

**TBC!**

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	2. Chapter the Second

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews you guys! Here's the next chapter. I've decided that the chapters will alternate between time periods, revealing bits of Riku and Sora's past as their relationship in the present begins to evolve. I'm afraid it will reveal too much before the end, but...I'm still giving it a shot. Well, here we go. Enjoy!

And, Novelist, if I update any time after March 1st, I will definitely send you the chapters! Same as with my FB story.

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**.506 AD.**

"_Did you hear?_"

"_Yes, burned at the stake._"

"_It's about time; I always suspected her._"

"_Same_."

"Sora, pay attention!"

Sora jumped, tuning out of the nursemaids' whispered conversation and looking back down at his book. "Sorry, Mother."

As Sora tried to focus on the text, he found his attention wandering out the window. The sky looked bleak; winter was coming. The thought made his heart throb painfully, remembering last winter when the snow had killed all of the crops. Many had starved to death before the arrival of spring. He felt a sudden chill, thinking about winter, and shivered involuntarily. He hoped he'd have a new coat, and perhaps a pair of boots. Otherwise there was no chance of ever venturing outside of the castle. Actually, the inside the castle wouldn't be much better, if the winter was bad. It was always cold in the castle.

"Sora," his mother warned again.

The brunette clenched his eyes shut, expecting a thorough chiding. He'd been slacking off lately in his studies. "I'm sorry, Mother," he said again.

He heard her sigh and opened his eyes, meeting her blue gaze that mirrored his own. "You may take a break, Sora."

"Really?" He perked up, looking surprised.

"Yes, really, you've been working hard lately."

He frowned at this, noticing how her claim starkly contradicted his own thoughts on his efforts. Nevertheless, he stood and left the room, pulling his cloak tighter around him against the cool air in the corridor. He found his feet bringing him down the nearest stairwell and taking him through a short series of hallways before he reached the doorway that led out to the courtyard. The sun had decided to make an appearance, finally, however brief he knew the appearance would be. The courtyard looked beautiful like this, with the honeyed light bathing the grass and trees. It almost made life seem pleasant. A picturesque image of what life should be like, not ravaged with famine and disease and superstition so strong that people feared to voice their own thoughts at the risk of being labeled a heretic.

Yes, Sora knew that life wasn't as it should be. He knew that people were not meant to live in the shadow of fear, fear of being invaded by pillaging barbarians, fear of being arrested for "unorthodox" thoughts or behavior, fear of falling ill and never recovering. Fear of…being watched…

Sora turned on his heel sharply, glancing around the seemingly abandoned courtyard. He automatically clutched the silver cross hanging around his neck and tried to calm his racing heart. He was sure he was alone, but the hairs standing up on the back of his neck said otherwise. "H-Hello?"

His voice that rang with childish innocence echoed through the yard. He glanced across and up at the stained-glass window of the nearby church, the gentle face of the Virgin Mary watching him with kind eyes. He smiled at that, feeling somewhat soothed. His gaze traveled from the church windows to the surrounding architecture of stone archways and statues—gargoyles and such—that stood high on the turrets of the castle. As he settled himself again, taking a deep breath, he stepped further into the courtyard up to a young maple tree, its leaves sparse and painted with the colors of sunset.

Then, a movement that he caught out the corner of his eye stayed his feet. His hand flew back to the cross hanging around his neck as his head slowly turned in the direction from which the disturbance had come.

He gasped, his wide-eyed gaze meeting a pair of calm, aqua eyes watching him from a window ledge. Cool, pink lips quirked into a smirk. The stranger cocked his head—it _was_ a "he", right?—and stood, managing to not teeter uneasily on the thin stone ledge. And then, to Sora's complete and utter surprise, he jumped. He jumped from the ledge. Sora gasped again and shot forward instinctively, not really sure what he was planning to do (but do it he would, whatever it was), when the stranger landed gracefully on his feet, seemingly unaffected by the force that grounded everything. Sora took advantage of their propinquity to observe the stranger's appearance.

The boy (Sora decided that the stranger was, indeed, a boy) had a curtain of sheer, silver hair that fell in wild layers around his pale face and hung over his forehead. He was beautiful, there was no doubt in Sora's mind, but in a dangerously seductive sort of way that made the brunette noticeably wary. His face was delicately curved, framing his alluring eyes of the purest aqua, and his lithe frame was clad in black cloth: a simple tunic—much like what the knights wore—and tight pants that tucked into a pair of almost-knee-high riding boots. Around his waist, a white cord was tied, pulling the tunic in around his hips. But those eyes, they were so enchanting, so incredibly vivid, and they were…growing larger?

It was then that Sora realized that the stranger was advancing on him. He took a startled step back, instinctively clutching his cross again.

"Are you the lord of this castle?" the stranger asked. His voice was like honey, smooth and deceptively sweet, holding none of the pure innocence that Sora's voice did.

"U-Um…no, my father is," Sora answered uneasily.

"Ah, I see." The stranger put his arms behind his back and rocked on his heels, looking up at the sky, which was once again a sheet of gray as the had sun hidden. To Sora, it almost seemed that the sun was hiding from this person. The thought comforted him none. "Well, I have a matter to discuss with your father."

"What matter?"

"The matter of your serfs. Their livestock is suffering."

"And what mean the serfs to you?" Sora wondered.

"Consider me a representative, of sorts." The stranger chuckled.

Sora shook his head. "N-No, the serfs have no representatives. How did you get in here? Who are you?"

The handsome features melted into a scowl. "Brazen little brat, aren't you?"

"I'm not brazen!" Sora rejoined. "This is my home; I have a right to know why someone trespasses on this property and the identity of the trespasser," he said somewhat heatedly, gaining an iota of confidence.

"Very well." The stranger took a deep breath. "My name is Riku, and, as I said, I am here as a representative of sorts."

"And as _I _said, the serfs have no representatives!"

Riku sighed. "I am not representing the serfs."

"Then…who?"

"My…clan."

"Your clan?"

"Yes. The serfs' livestock are undernourished. That is my complaint," Riku said, trying to get to the point and skirt any potential queries he knew would come.

"And why are you complaining to us?" Sora asked.

"Well, these serfs work your land, yes? If they were given the proper means to nourish their livestock, the problem could be avoided. But as it is, they pay their taxes to the king and provide you with the best of their produce. That doesn't leave them with very much, does it?"

"They have protection from the castle! What more could they need?" Sora demanded, affronted by Riku's apparent accusations. "And how does the malnutrition of the livestock affect you, hm?"

Riku heaved another sigh, cocking his head and studying the brunette. Sora could feel his cheeks heat at the other's stare. Finally, seeming to decide something, Riku said, "If the cows are undernourished, their blood is bad."

Whatever Sora had been expecting, it certainly hadn't been that. "Their…blood…?" He frowned. "Why does that matter?"

Riku met Sora's gaze squarely, saying point-blank, "Because we feed off of their blood."

Sora's previously-reddened face drained of all color. "P-Pardon? What do you…?"

Riku smirked, and Sora shuddered at the wicked look Riku's visage had adopted. Riku stepped forward. The brunette consequently stepped back. "Exactly what I said." Riku was at an uncomfortably close propinquity to Sora, but Sora found that he could no longer step back. It could have been that he was simply paralyzed by Riku's seemingly dangerous air, or it could have been the tree at his back blocking his path. Either way, Riku was able to close the distance between the two of them and put his hands on each side of Sora's head, grinning now so that Sora could easily see the pointed canines that were far too large by human standards.

Sora began to tremble. "S-Stop…" he more pleaded than commanded.

Riku ignored the young brunette's plea and leaned in, brushing his lips along the soft skin of Sora's neck. Sora gasped, trying to fight the pleasant sensation that coursed through his body. Riku began planting open-mouthed kisses on Sora's jaw and down to the pulse point beneath. He could practically taste on the boy's succulent skin the sweet blood that was furiously pounding through Sora's veins, and a certain hunger like he'd never felt before swept over him. Hunger for that honeyed blood, that sweet, _sweet_ life energy. His teeth grazed the flesh, making Sora gasp again, this time in fear. However hard he was trying to convince himself that this was all a horrible dream, the sharp pinpoints of pain that prickled his skin as Riku's fangs ghosted over it were all too real to ignore. Tears stung the corners of his eyes. Could this really be happening?

"In all honesty," Riku breathed against Sora's neck, "I've never bitten a human before, though I've heard you have the sweetest blood."

Sora was, to say the least, surprised at this information. "You've…n-never… But how…?"

"It's against our ethics," Riku replied, his mouth still too close to Sora's neck for comfort.

_Ethics? _Sora thought dazedly. _Vampires have ethics?_

"Yes, and we can read minds, too." Riku chuckled. He pulled back suddenly, looking Sora in the eye, though his hands were still firmly planted on either side of the brunette's head, pinning the boy to the tree. "You're…" Riku smiled, though his expression betrayed his bemusement, "cute."

Sora blinked. For the second time in the past five minutes, Riku had said something completely unexpected. "Cute?" the boy wondered.

Riku grinned, the bemusement chased from his countenance by a vivid comprehension that dawned in his captivating eyes. "Yes, very." And with that, he leaned in again, this time pressing his soft lips to Sora's own, initiating a swift, chase kiss. Pulling back, he whispered, "This isn't over though, about the livestock that is. We may not feed on humans, but if the cows' blood doesn't improve soon, we might have to start."

Sora blinked again, and Riku was gone.

"Sora!"

Sora turned, looking up at the windows in the side of the castle. His gaze darted from place to place until his eyes fell upon the sight of his mother, leaning over the ledge of one tall window and waving down to him.

"Come back for your lessons! You've tarried enough as it is!"

Sora nodded. "Coming!" As he took off at a brisk pace towards the door to the castle, his hand crept to his neck, where he could swear he could still feel Riku's warm breath…and the impression of his fangs.

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**A/N: **... So? Review, onegai!

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	3. Chapter the Third

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far! You are all my inspiriation! And, **Novelist**, you're on to something with your speculations about... reincarnation, and whatnot. Well, enjoy! _  
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_One thousand, five hundred years of searching, and he's ten feet away from me. _Riku sat in the shade of a palm tree on a ridge overlooking the beach, watching the beachgoers associating down on the sand, laughing and playing and swimming in the crystal waters of Destiny Islands. He sighed wistfully. _One thousand, five hundred years… I want this so badly, it hurts._

He sat beneath the tree and watched as the sun began to dip behind the horizon, painting the ocean with oranges and reds. It was almost time. It had been a week since Lulu had cast the spell, and it was almost time. People were leaving the beach, although Sora and his friends tarried, still playing around and having fun like the teenagers that they were. Finally, the moment came. Riku smirked, melting into the shade and reappearing a ways away from where Sora and the others were. Sidling up to the brunette, he laid a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Sora jumped, turning, expecting to meet a familiar face, and gasped when he didn't. Without another word, Riku leaned down and captured Sora's lips. Sora's mind told him to push the stranger away and run, but his body was deciding to be disobedient and stayed as Riku's arms snaked around his waist, pulling him close and deepening the kiss. He licked along the seam of Sora's petal-soft lips, prying them apart and delving hungrily into his sweet mouth, reveling in the taste.

Sora felt dizzy. Perhaps it was the lack of oxygen, because this kiss was, not only his _first_, but seemingly endless. Why couldn't he push this person away? Why? Who _was _this person? Why did their lips feel so familiar? Had he kissed this person before? No, he couldn't have. Surely he would've known about something like that.

And finally, the person released him. Actually, no…someone _else_ had pulled him away. He turned to see Tidus staring at him inquiringly. Kairi, Wakka, and Selphie were adorned with similar visages. Sora spun at the hand on his shoulder and took a wary step back as he met a pair of cold, aqua eyes.

"Hey there, Beautiful," Riku purred.

"B-Beautiful?" Sora stuttered. "I'm sorry… Do I _know_ you?"

"What the hell was that about?" Tidus intervened angrily, ever the over-protective friend.

"Who _are _you?" Wakka inputted, coming up defensively beside his blonde friend.

Riku stepped towards Sora, and, try as he might, Sora just couldn't move. He was captured by those piercing eyes. They seemed so…familiar… And those lips…they were moving… The stranger was talking. But what was he saying? Sora couldn't hear.

"…right, Sora?"

"Huh?" The person was running his finger beneath Sora's chin, tilting his head up towards him.

"You know who I am, right?" he whispered in Sora's ear.

Sora nodded, then quickly shook his head, and then nodded again. He was so confused, and the finger under his chin was sending excited electric shocks through his system, further paralyzing the poor brunette.

"What is it, Sora?" Kairi asked. "Who is he?"

"I…don't know…"

Riku heaved a sigh, and turned to the group. "Riku," he said. "My name is Riku."

"Sora, how do you know him?" Kairi inquired, her voice wavering. This stranger was utterly unnerving. There was something dangerous about him, and his beauty was too…ethereal…to possibly be…_human_.

Riku ran his fingers delicately up Sora's cheek, and Sora leaned into the touch entreatingly, begging for something he didn't even know the nature of. All he knew was that he wanted it. "I…don't…know…" It was getting harder and harder to form coherent sentences as Riku continued to pet him and stare at him as if he were the only person that existed, as if they were alone and not in the presence of four of Sora's closest friends.

Riku leaned in a nuzzled Sora's cheek with his nose, breathing his request across Sora's sensitive skin. "Come with me?"

Sora nodded. Then, something warm crept from his chest through the rest of his body, a warm tingling sensation.

"SORA!"

"Sora, man, what're you—"

"_Sora_, stop!"

And then they were gone, and Sora and Riku were alone. But they weren't on the beach anymore. They were on the other side of the Island, if Sora thought right. The more urban area. They were in the park, in a secluded part, surrounded by trees and foliage. Riku still hadn't taken his eyes off of Sora, and his arms were still around the slight boy's waist. He pressed his lips to Sora's temple. "Aren't you afraid?"

Sora shivered. "Should I be?"

"That's a good question. I think you'll," Riku nipped at Sora's neck teasingly, "have to find out for yourself, eh?"

He leaned down and pressed his lips against Sora's again, forceful and hungry. He moved his mouth slowly against the brunette's, recapturing his sensuously soft lips again and again, goading him into returning the kiss. Sora responded tentatively, still not sure of what to do. He hadn't exactly had a lot of…_experience _in this area during his fifteen years of existence in the world. And here was this stranger-but-not, kissing him not once, but _twice_, and talking to him like they were long-time lovers. Who _was _this person?

"Don't worry about it," Riku whispered as he pulled back, this time keeping in mind Sora's need to breathe. "You'll know in time."

"Wha…?" Did Riku know what he was thinking? …And…what happened to his shirt? Sora looked down to find the white T-shirt he'd been wearing in Riku's hands, and then it was on the ground, and Riku's hands were on Sora. Everywhere. Sora didn't exactly know what was going on, but he found his fingers curling around the zipper on Riku's black vest and pulling it down. He gasped as his fingers grazed the cold flesh of Riku's chest, feeling the toned muscles ripple at the touch. His gallivanting fingers trailed down the center of Riku's abdomen, falling to his waistline just below his naval. There was something there about the texture of his skin that wasn't right. Looking down, Sora saw two characters tattooed into the porcelain flesh. His fingers traced the alien designs, mesmerized.

"Lust."

"Huh?" Sora's gaze snapped back to Riku's.

"It says 'Lust'."

Sora's eyes widened, a bright red staining his face. "Oh…uh…okay."

Riku bit his lip, amused. "You know about the Seven Deadly Sins, right?"

"Er…"

"I'll take that as a 'no'." He chuckled, holding Sora to him and nestling his chin on the top of the brunette's head. "I have the other six, too, you know."

"You have…the other six?"

"Tattoos. Well, they're not really 'tattoos', per se, but… Each one is somewhere else on my body. Do you want to try to find them?" He laughed as Sora began to stutter incomprehensibly.

"Now, now, Riku… Let's not rush things, hm?"

Riku went rigid, releasing Sora and spinning around. His eyes narrowed. "Lulu."

"The one and only."

The violet-clad witch stepped from the shadows of the wood, her dark lips quirked into a smirk.

"Uh…Riku?" Sora gripped the silver-haired boy's shoulders nervously. This woman was scary.

"Don't be scared, Sora," Lulu crooned. "I don't bite." She laughed then, saying, "It's Riku you should be wary of; I don't think the same can be said for him."

"Lulu…" Riku growled.

"Riku, what's happening?" The enchantment Sora seemed to have been held under broke, then, and he stepped back from the other, stooping and grabbing his shirt, quickly sliding it over his head. His eyes hardened into a frightened glare. "Who are you?" he demanded.

Riku turned to the brunette, looking vaguely surprised. He quickly regained his cool composure, however, and said, "You know who I am, Sora."

"No, I only know your name. Who _are _you? _What _are you?" Sora was beginning to panic. The sun was setting, and he was far from home.

Riku grinned devilishly, showing off a rather impressive pair of canine teeth. Fangs, really. Sora shuddered at the thought, and then felt his heart stop in his chest when Riku, calmly and coolly, replied, "A vampire."

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**A/N: **Review please!

**TBC!**


	4. Chapter the Fourth

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

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**.506 AD.**

Sora sat in his room, looking out of his window across the farmland and beyond. There was a column of black smoke rising out of the distance—probably another execution. Sora absently pulled on the lengthy chain beneath his shirt, drawing out the silver amulet. He turned it in his palm, twisting and untwisting the chain, looking down at the crown carved into the metal. It was an insignia. He always wore it under his shirt, hidden, with his cross over his shirt for all to see.

He hadn't told anyone about his meeting with Riku. It wasn't that he didn't want to help the…erm, vampire or that he didn't take Riku's threat to start feeding on humans instead of cows seriously, but he…was honestly hoping that if he didn't do what Riku had demanded, that the vampire would come back to him to complain again. Of course, he wasn't looking forward to the complaining and probable threats, but he'd take it all if he could see Riku again. Riku…was an interesting character, and Sora was dying to know more about him. Really, how many chances does one get to interact with a vampire?

Absorbed in his own thoughts, Sora didn't hear the groan of his bed-frame and wasn't alerted to the other presence in the room until a voice disrupted him.

"Boo."

Sora jumped, startled, and turned in his seat to see none other than Riku reclining back on his bed, hands behind his head. He hastily stowed his amulet away beneath his shirt with trembling hands. "R-Riku?"

"The one and only." Suddenly, the vampire's easy attitude shifted, and he seemed tenser as he sat back up, eyes staring hard at the brunette. "You didn't meet my demands," he said point-blank.

Sora opened his mouth to speak, but found that he had nothing to say to that other than, "I know."

Riku stood slowly, never taking his stunning eyes off of the boy. "Why not?"

"I-I…don't know…"

"You're lying," Riku said definitely, not delving into the brunette's thoughts, but being able to pick up the faint sense of franticness that was racing around in Sora's mind.

Sora took a deep breath, trying to compose himself as Riku took a few more steps nearer. "I…I wanted…to see you again…" he replied finally, knowing that he wouldn't be able to hide anything from the silver-haired vampire.

Again, Riku's attitude changed swiftly, from anger to what seemed to be curiosity. He quirked an eyebrow. "Really?"

Sora nodded hesitantly. Riku was now standing directly before him. Slowly, Riku reached out and gripped Sora's chin, tilting it upwards and leaning down so that their lips met. Sora didn't give into it though, and pushed Riku away, trying to ignore his internal demands to kiss back. "N-No," he said as Riku gave him an inquisitive look. "It's not…like that…" he tried to explain. "I just…"

"You just…what?"

"I don't know… I just wanted…to see you again. I want…to know more about you…" Lame answer, he knew, but it was the honest truth. Pretty confident in the fact that Riku wouldn't bite him, Sora was a little bolder than he was when they'd first met.

"Really?" Riku looked amused. "You want to get to know a vampire? A complete and potentially dangerous stranger?"

Sora audibly swallowed. "I…I don't think you'll hurt me…" he said softly.

Riku crept closer to the brunette, and Sora backed up against the stone wall beside the window. Riku placed his hands on either side of Sora's head, efficiently trapping the boy. Leaning so close that their lips were nearly touching, Riku breathed, "_Is that so?_" Louder, he said, "How can you so readily trust someone?"

Sora shrugged, feeling suddenly uneasy. "I… Well, I need something to trust, don't I?"

Riku snorted. "Hn, humans. So fickle, so easily led, so…" he nipped softly at Sora's lower lip, "…innocent." Then, the silver-haired vampire stepped away, brushing his hair over his shoulder. "Figures, though, that you can find the ability to trust. What do you know of evil and suffering?"

Sora's eyes flashed at this, his jaw tightening. The relaxed air dissipated. Riku couldn't help but be just a little startled, though he hid it well. Sora growled, "How dare you—"

"Sora!" It was his mother. "Sora! Come quickly!" The urgency in his mother's voice was enough to catch his attention. With one last look at Riku, Sora dashed out the door.

Riku narrowed his eyes, following the brunette as he disappeared. "Sora," he whispered, learning the boy's name for the first time. "What a lovely name."

With that, Riku faded into the shadows of the room and vanished.

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**A/N: **Oooh, what could be the matter? Review, and you'll find out two chapters from now!

**TBC!**

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	5. Chapter the Fifth

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

**A/N: **What can I say other than, "You guys rock"? Thanks so much for your reviews! Hope ya like this chapter; I made it a little longer. Oh, and before anyone reads, **I do not own the song "Saying Sorry" by Hawthorne Heights**. And if anyone wants to check out that song, go to **www . purevolume . com / hawthorneheights **and you can listen to it. I promise you'll all like it!

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"_What?_" Sora shook his head. "I…I don't believe you!" _A vampire? Riku's a VAMPIRE?_

"Yes, I am," Riku replied again to Sora's thoughts.

"Th-Then…what's she?" Sora pointed a trembling finger at Lulu.

"A witch," Lulu replied easily.

Sora shook his head again. "T-Take me home," he demanded.

"Not until you hear me out," Riku said.

"NO!" Sora shouted, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. "Take me home _now!_"

"Sora… You don't remember…so how could you possibly know?"

"Know what?"

"That we're destined to be together." Riku smirked.

"What? I don't even _know _you!"

"Oh, but you did. Fifteen hundred years ago, you knew me. You_ loved _me."

Sora frowned bemusedly. "But how…? You're a vampire!"

"That didn't stop you from letting me make love to you…every night we were together."

Sora put his hands over his ears, screwing his eyes shut and sinking to his knees. He _did _not need to hear this. "Stop it!" he shouted. "You're lying! I would never…love a vampire! That's just weird! I don't even know you! I wasn't alive fifteen hundred years ago!" Then, he felt someone close their arms around him, and his eyes snapped open. He uncovered his ears as he met a pair of aqua eyes.

"Yes, you were. You _were _alive then, and you were just as beautiful as you are now," Riku crooned, smiling wistfully.

"But…how…?"

"Ever heard of reincarnation?"

"Yeah…but…" Sora desperately tried to wrap his mind around this concept. It was proving difficult.

"Don't worry," Riku whispered as he pressed his lips to Sora's forehead. "I've been waiting for you. I missed you."

"But…"

"No more 'but's. Come on, I'll take you home." Riku stood, pulling Sora up with him, and turned to see Lulu gone. He shrugged, wrapping his arms around Sora and melting into the shadows that now surrounded them.

When they reappeared, they were in Sora's room, and everything was still. Riku was bracing himself for the search team that he was sure would be greeting them soon. No doubt Sora's friends had told his parents what had happened and they had called the police to report a kidnapping. Something like that. But as Sora crept away from Riku and went to check to see where his parents were, he found them sleeping in their room as if nothing was wrong. Sora returned to relay the news to Riku, who's eyebrows arched in surprise.

"But…how? Do you think your friends didn't tell anyone what happened?"

"That doesn't sound like them," Sora said worriedly.

Comprehension dawned on Riku's dark features. "Then that means that…someone came by and cleaned up after us."

"What?"

"Another vampire, most likely. They probably hypnotized your friends into believing that nothing was awry. But…who…?" Riku shrugged then. "Ah, whatever."

Sora changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed. Riku never took his eyes off the boy. Once Sora had tucked himself in, Riku came up beside him and leaned down, pressing his lips softly to the brunette's. Parting, he smiled down at the boy before disappearing.

Sora sighed. It had certainly been a _strange _day. But in the morning, he'd wake up and it would all have been a dream. Sora laughed dryly. Vampires didn't exist. He would never see Riku again, except maybe in his dreams. Somehow, the thought made him sad. But only a little.

000

The morning dawned in a splash of orange that slowly pooled in the sky. Sora awoke, stretching languidly and wishing he could go back to sleep. But he had school. Bleh, school. He swung his legs over the edge of his bed. _Six is waaay to early to be getting up every morning_, Sora thought bitterly. The events of yesterday didn't even grace his mind.

He made his way to the shower and turned it on, listening to the hiss of the water as he stripped from his boxers and T-shirt. Shuddering as he transitioned from the cool-quickly-becoming-steamy air of the bathroom to the hot water of the shower, he wet his hair before grabbing the bottle of shampoo and squirting an ample amount of the apple-scented product onto his hand and working it into his brown locks. The morning routine began, same as every weekday. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing new. Sometimes Sora wished he could pull out of the rat race humanity had settled itself into. It was exhausting, the repetitiveness of each day. Exhausting.

He stepped from the shower ten minutes later and dried his hair. As soon as it was free from the damp restrictions of the heavy water, his hair sprung up on its ends and stood into its normal mess of soft spikes. Soon Sora was dressed and heading downstairs to get some breakfast, and then after that back upstairs to brush his teeth, then back downstairs to slip on his shoes and shoulder his backpack, heading out the door at almost exactly ten of seven. He met his friends at the bus stop as the rosy dawn continued its trek across the sky.

"Hey there, freshman." Tidus smiled brightly. He was _way _to active for the early hour.

Sora rolled his blue eyes. "Stupid sophomore." Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie loved to pick on Sora and Kairi, and had been doing so for the few weeks that school had begun. Hopefully, by October the habit would break. The teasing was always executed with friendly humor, though, so Sora never really let it get to him.

He pulled out his headphones and slipped them on. Before he could hit the "play" button, Tidus asked, "What'cha listening to?"

Sora looked over at him and shrugged. "Music," he answered, being deliberately vague. He never really liked to share his music with his friends. To him, it was something personal and reflected a side of himself that he rarely revealed. A darker side, to be more precise. He didn't know why the angsty lyrics and sinfully beautiful melodies attracted him so. Without saying anything further, he hit the "play" button and the song started up.

_These colors will not change,  
You change the way I see them.  
These words will fade,  
When you explain,  
Why you hate them.  
We are the same. _

The words seemed to echo through Sora's mind, seeping into the crevices of his memory. _This song…_ Sora thought. _This song… Why does it seem to remind me of something that makes…my heart hurt? And…if it causes me pain, why do I just _love _it so much? _

_She keeps repeating,  
(She keeps repeating)  
All that she needed.  
She said she's right here,  
(She said she's right here)  
She seems so distant._

The bus rounded a corner and pulled up. Sora stepped on. Catching a glimpse out a window, he saw Kairi rushing down the street, trying to keep her backpack from slipping off her shoulders. Sora smiled as he sat down. Kairi jumped on a second later, out of breath and apologizing to the driver for being late. He just waved her by with an amiable grin, and she plopped down next to Sora. She said "Hey, Sora," but he didn't hear her, only saw her mouth move and nodded in greeting.

_Saying goodbye. This time. The same old story.  
Seeing you cry, it makes feel like saying sorry._

Sora gazed out the window as Kairi pulled her own headphones out of her backpack, slipping them on and tilting her head back, eyes closed. The mornings were always quiet; everyone was tired. Sora cherished the solitude within the company. The mornings were his favorite time of day. Everything was at peace, the sky was dusted a light pink, blue just beginning to bleed into Aurora's canvas. It was utterly beautiful.

_ Just a few last hours,  
We gotta make this count.  
(We gotta make this count)  
_

_We're counting backwards._

_(Just a few last hours)  
(We gotta make this count)_

A pang, a sense of dread, of running out of time. Sora frowned. Why did the sensation leave him so…exhilarated?

_We're falling forwards._

He shrugged it off as the song faded back into the pre-chorus.

_She keeps repeating,  
(She keeps repeating)  
All that she needed.  
She said she's right here,  
(She said she's right here)  
She seems so distant._

_Saying goodbye. This time. The same old story.  
Seeing you cry, it makes feel like saying sorry._

_Saying goodbye. This time. The same old story.  
Seeing you cry, it makes feel like saying sorry._

_Saying sorry, we've fallen apart,  
Wish we knew this from the start.  
Saying goodbye's the hardest part,  
Wish we knew this from the start._

_Saying goodbye. This time. The same old story.  
Seeing you cry, it makes feel like saying sorry._

_Saying goodbye. This time. The same old story.  
Seeing you cry, it makes feel like saying sorry._

_Saying goodbye. This time. (This time)  
Seeing you cry, it makes feel like saying sorry…_

"Sora?"

Sora turned, only able to have heard someone call his name because the song had ended and was transitioning to the next. He hit the pause button. "Yeah?"

"Are you crying?"

Sora frowned again, reaching up to wipe at his cheeks. He _was _crying. How had he not noticed?

Kairi looked concerned. "Why are you crying?"

000

"…because you _do _remember…"

Riku tilted his head back against the tree trunk, closing his eyes.

"…don't you?"

"Of course I remember," Riku snapped. "Why else would I be doing this?"

The other shrugged.

"Vincent, you're a real jackass, you know that?" Riku opened an eye and glared with it at his black-haired companion. "You _know _I remember. I remember every fucking _thing_. So why do you need to bring it up time and time again?"

Vincent smirked. "Because I love pissing you off." Riku closed his eye again. "Do you remember his favorite color?"

"Blue."

"Favorite food?"

"Cherries."

"Favorite pastime?"

"Pas_times_. Sword fighting and writing poetry."

"Do you remember the way he looked…"

Riku warily opened his eyes.

"…the sounds he made…"

His eyes narrowed into knives as he glared at the other.

"…when you fucked him senseless…"

His jaw clenched.

"…night after night…after night…"

"Shove it, Valentine." Riku pushed himself off the tree, his fists held tightly at his sides. "And, just for the record, you vulgar bastard, we never 'fucked'."

Vincent rolled his scarlet eyes. "Oh, forgive me," he drawled. "You didn't 'fuck', you 'made love'. Is that right? Because you two were so _madly _in love. So in love, in fact, that he slaughtered your entire—"

"Shut up!" Riku shoved Vincent into a nearby tree, pinning his shoulders. "Shut up!" He was trembling, and Vincent could feel it in the hands that held him captive.

"You're weak, Riku," Vincent hissed. "You know that this is dangerous. You know that you won't be able to help yourself. And yet, you're doing it anyway."

Riku choked back a sob that was threatening to escape his lips. "I-I promised…" His eyes were no longer hard and threatening, but dulled and swimming in suppressed tears. "I made a promise," he said with more strength. "I can't go back on it. I can't betray them."

"They won't know if you do, Riku."

"But I'll know, and I'd rather drive a stake through my heart than live for eternity knowing that I didn't avenge them, knowing that I betrayed them."

Vincent didn't back down from his argument. "But you _will _go back on your promise. You know you will. For _him_. You won't be able to help it."

"Yes. I. Will. I _will _be able to help it. You'll see. I'm stronger than that."

"No you're not."

Riku bared his fangs and pulled his fist back, launching it into Vincent's stomach. The other gasped and doubled over as Riku walked away, melting into the shadows that graced the forest with a whispered, "You'll see."

Vincent caught his breath and straightened, brushing his raven hair from his eyes. "No Riku, _you'll _see," he said to the empty air. "And no one will be able to catch you when you fall. You'll lose the only other being in this world that you truly care about with all of your heart and soul." He added, with a snicker, "Or lack thereof."

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"Soooooora!"

Sora turned to see Kairi heading his way, flanked by Naminé. The petite blonde held her trademark sketchbook in her hands.

"Hey," Sora greeted.

"Sora, we were just discussing plans for Halloween!" Kairi chirped, dropping her laden tray in front of her seat and sitting down beside her friend at the lunch table. Naminé followed suit.

Sora chuckled. "Oh, right. Halloween."

"You should see what Naminé's got planned. Show him, Naminé!" Kairi tore open a ketchup packet as the blonde flipped open her sketchbook, turning it towards Sora.

"Kairi wanted to be a cat," Naminé explained, throwing a sidelong glance at the redhead and smiling. "I was thinking about being an angel."

Sora looked over the costume sketches. "They're great, Naminé!"

"Sora, what're you gonna be?" Kairi asked. "You have to dress up, or no candy for you!"

Sora laughed. "All right, all right." He thought. "I wasn't really planning on going out this year, but—"

"We always drag you anyway, so what's the point of fighting?" Kairi finished his sentence with a smirk.

"Exactly."

Meanwhile, Naminé was busy scratching across the creamy paper with her pencil. "I have an idea," she said. "It just struck me."

Sora and Kairi ate in silence while the blonde continued drawing fervently. After a total of five minutes, she'd finished. She turned the sketch towards Sora, and he grinned. "Genius, Naminé."

Kairi looked down at the drawing. "It's adorable! Prince Sora!"

Naminé smiled and closed the cover over her sketch of Sora wearing stereotypical royal garb and his signature lopsided grin. "We can start on them this weekend, and we have to get pumpkins to carve, too!"

"Oh, and I'm in charge of the movie," Kairi reminded.

"Sleepover at my place?" Sora queried between bites.

Kairi nodded. "Of course!"

"What movie are you picking?" Sora asked the redhead.

She shook her head resolutely. "Not telling! You'll just have to wait and see."

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That weekend, the trio took a trip to a local pumpkin field, clad in heavy boots to guard against the mud. The field was wide, dotted with orange bulbs of all sizes. Kairi picked up a particularly small pumpkin and held it beside her face, smiling. "It's so cute!" she crooned.

Her friends laughed outright. "Only you, Kairi," Sora said between chuckles.

Kairi giggled before returning the diminutive pumpkin to its bed of mud and dirt. She stepped over the messy remains of a smashed pumpkin and continued picking through the selection. Time passed, and Sora began to wander away from the girls, who were busy debating over what size pumpkins would be best for carving, towards a nearby wood. The gray sky and cool breeze made him shiver, folding his arms and wrapping his hands around his exposed upper arms, rubbing them for warmth. He should've thrown on a sweatshirt.

"Hey there."

Sora glanced up sharply. He'd meandered closer to the wood than he'd thought. Perched on a limb jutting from a nearby tree was an ethereally pale boy, looking to be a year or so older than Sora himself. The boy looked oddly familiar… Wait a minute.

"Riku!" Sora gasped.

Riku jumped down from the branch and landed on his feet with a feline-like grace. "The one and only." He smirked, baring a hint of his trademark fangs.

The memories surged through Sora's mind with the force of a tidal wave, making him stagger briefly as he stepped towards the alluring vampire. Vampire. The word tied knots in Sora's stomach. So…it had all really happened? But…it…no, it couldn't have happened!

Riku was still smirking, and looking damn sexy doing so. Sora shook his head. This was just all too weird.

"I missed you," Riku purred, reaching out and taking Sora into his arms. "I've been meaning to visit you again, but, well…things just keep coming up."

"What things?" Sora wondered vaguely. His mind had fallen back into an all-too-familiar fog that seemed to encompass his consciousness whenever Riku was around.

"Don't worry about it."

"…Okay." Sora closed his eyes, nestling his head into the crook of Riku's neck. Riku chuckled and began to gently massage circles into the small of Sora's back. Sora groaned at the warm sensation, pressing closer to the taller boy. Before he was really aware of it, there was a hand on his chin and his face was being tilted upwards and then there was a pair of soft lips pressed against his and he was kissing Riku and—whoa, things were happening fast.

Sora wrapped his arms around Riku's neck, his heart suddenly pounding nervously. There was a sense of limitedness that was planted in his chest and beginning to grow, his actions growing hasty and desperate with it.

Riku was surprised at the small boy's sudden franticness, but accepted it nonetheless, pressing his tongue through Sora's lips and battling the brunette's. He found his feet moving backwards, and soon his back met the sound trunk a nearby tree. And then Sora jumped, wrapping his legs around Riku's waist, and Riku quickly caught the boy, holding him tightly around the rear to keep him aloft. _What has gotten into him…? _Riku idly wondered, still locked at the mouth with Sora. _It's almost like…that night… _

"SORA!"

Sora abruptly pulled back, his heart lurching with surprise. He turned, evading Riku's attempt at recapturing the brunette's lips. Still holding Sora against him with the boy's legs around his waist, Riku groaned and let his head fall back against the tree. _Slow down,_ he chastised himself. _Don't get ahead of yourself. Control, dammit! You need control. _

"Sora, what the _hell _are you doing?" Kairi demanded, nearing the two.

Sora detangled himself from Riku and jumped down from the silver-haired boy's arms, blushing darkly.

"Yeah," Naminé added. "I mean, if you're going to make-out with a hot guy, at least warn us so I can go get a camera!"

"That's _not _what I was talking about, Naminé," Kairi said sharply, cutting a glare at her blonde friend. Her typical sunny demeanor had been disrupted by a sudden thunderous tempest. "Sora, what are you doing with _him?_"

"Do you even know him?" Naminé asked her redheaded friend.

Kairi blinked. "Um…no, but…" _But I don't trust him. _

Riku, picking up the redhead's thoughts, narrowed his eyes at this. _Not good, not good, not good… Ugh, that insufferable little wench. _

Riku grabbed Sora's wrist and pulled the boy into one more chaste kiss, whispering "I'll be back" before leaping up into the trees and melting into the darkness of the boughs.

"What the hell was that?" Naminé asked, darting towards the base of the tree and looking up, finding no trace of the silver-haired boy.

"That was…" Sora's mind began to clear, and his fingers brushed across his lips contemplatively, "Riku."

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**A/N: **Sooo? Review, onegai! Did anyone check out the song on purevolume? If so, didya like it? Well, anyway...

**TBC!**

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	6. Chapter the Sixth

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

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**.506 AD.**

"Mother, what is it?" Sora asked, finally finding the room from where his mother's voice had come. He saw his mother, father, and cousin, as well as various nursemaids and attendants, surrounding his uncle's bed. A strained coughing reverberated throughout the chamber.

Sora's heart picked up a nervous pace. "U-Uncle?"

His mother ushered him to her side, motioning for him to be quiet. "It's gotten worse," she whispered.

Sora looked down to see his cousin kneeling at the bedside. The blonde boy was trembling.

There was more coughing, succeeded by a dribble of blood as the hacking forced the sick man to sit upright in bed.

"How much worse?" Sora whispered to his mother.

"They don't think…he'll live out the night," his mother replied.

There was a choked sob from the boy at the bedside, his trembling increasing. Sora put a hand on his cousin's shoulder, but his hand was shaken off. Sora murmured, "Roxas…"

The blonde shook his head.

"Let's leave them be," said Sora's father. He motioned for his wife and son to follow him, and the three departed, leaving Roxas alone with his father and the doctor in the swiftly darkening chamber, the fiery light of sunset casting shadows across the room.

Sora sighed, leaving his parents' sides and going down to the courtyard, one of his favorite haunts. Everything was generally peaceful there, and there was the most glorious view of the sky. At night, the stars shown clearly, spectacularly. Now, the sky was painted with vivid pinks and oranges and violets. Sora rummaged around in the open hallway that circled the courtyard, finding his sword where he always kept it stowed safely away. The blade was dull, but it was great for practicing swordsmanship, something his father stressed. _"You're going to grow up and be a knight,_" his father would say, _"just like your brother."_

Sora held it out in front of him and began to go through the familiar motions that he'd long since learned.

"_What do you know of evil and suffering?"_

Sora laughed dryly, recalling Riku's words. Was Riku really that ignorant? Did he not know of the demons that plagued their land? It seemed rather ironic that a demon would not be aware of the other demons that prowled the earth. Yes, demons by many names. Disease, starvation, superstition…

"Having fun?"

Sora whirled, the point of his blade meeting Riku's breastbone squarely, nearly brushing the fabric of his black tunic. Anger flared in Sora's gut, and he briefly flashed on the idea of running Riku through with his sword, however dull the blade was.

Riku picked up on this thought, frowning. "Now that's a little harsh, no?"

Sora scowled. "What do you want?"

Riku shrugged, stepping wisely away from the point of Sora's sword. "To see you." Oh, how the tables had turned.

"Why? I'm just an naïve, too-quick-to-trust human, aren't I?"

Riku was taken aback at Sora's brusque tone. His eyes narrowed on the boy. "Is something…the matter?"

"As a matter of fact…" Sora lowered his sword, holding it to his side.

When Sora didn't say anything else, Riku skirted the issue and gestured to Sora's weapon. "Are you any good with that?" he asked.

Sora blushed, looking away. "I suppose."

Riku chuckled. "Well, get me one and we can have a duel."

The brunette's gaze snapped back to meet the other's. "What?"

"You heard me."

Sora nodded tentatively. "A-All right…uh, wait here."

The boy disappeared. Riku watched him go, murmuring, "So cute," with a fond smile.

Sora returned moments later with another sword in hand. "Here." He tossed the weapon to Riku, who deftly caught it. They took their positions across from each other underneath a nearby maple tree.

"Don't go easy on me," Sora said, smirking.

"Likewise," Riku returned. Then, as an afterthought, he added, "Just so long as you don't hit here." He patted his chest, feeling the faint heartbeat beneath his palm.

Sora nodded. "Right. Let's go."

000

The two collapsed in a fit of laughter, leaning against each other and the trunk of the maple tree. The swords were tossed to the side, the hilt of Sora's slick with sweat, and the boys continued to laugh breathlessly. Finally, Sora forced himself to stop in order to control his panting, which was rather ragged after nearly an hour of swordplay with Riku. The silver-haired boy, however, was just as calm and collected as ever, not even breaking a sweat, his breathing perfectly regular, save for the dying spasm of giggles. Sora wondered if it was due to the fact that he was a vampire. He frowned curiously, turning suddenly in the grass so he was face-to-face with Riku, and placing his hand on the boy's chest.

Riku bristled. "S-Sora…?"

Sora cocked his head inquisitively, much like the way a wondering dog would. He could feel Riku's heart beating. If Riku had a heart, then why did his body not seem to need to bend to the whims of other imperative functions? Shouldn't Riku be out of breath, sweat matting his brow? Shouldn't his heart be pounding furiously, like Sora's was?

…Whoa, when did Riku get so close? Was that his breath ghosting over Sora's lips?

"R-Riku?"

The other smirked. "You should know better than to put your face so near mine, Sora," he purred, finally closing the distance and bringing their lips together. Sora struggled for a brief moment until his control wavered, crumbling under Riku's seduction. Before he knew it, Sora's back was being pressed into the wiry grass, Riku's fingers threading through his cinnamon locks. Riku's ministrations were drawing the most beautiful sounds from Sora's mouth, many of which were swallowed by Riku's kiss, the rest received by Riku's appreciative ears.

Sora, being winded still from their prior dueling, quickly ran out of breath and forced Riku back. The vampire smirked down at the brunette's dumbstruck visage. Sora's mind ran to work his malfunctioning mouth as he stuttered, "Wh-Why…?"

Riku fondly tweaked Sora's nose. "Because you're deliciously adorable."

Sora frowned. Adorable? He was fifteen, dammit! And he was going to be a knight! Knight's were _not _adorable! They were formidable and strong, like his brother; Sora aspired more than anything to be like his brother. Their father was strong, too, and smart. Sora looked up to his father (_wow Riku's lips were soft_) just as much as his brother. Then there was Roxas, who, while not matching Sora's swordsmanship skills, was also (_ooh that felt good_) a talented warrior-to-be. Sora would have to (_was that Riku's tongue?_) challenge his cousin to a duel later—

"Riku!" Sora gasped. "Would you stop?" He wondered whether it had been Riku's freaky mind-powers that had sidetracked his train of thought, giving the other free range of his neck without interruption, or simply Sora's short attention span (or lack thereof).

"I'd say a bit of both," Riku responded to Sora's thoughts. "Those with short attention spans are easier to distract."

Sora whimpered as Riku continued to teasingly nip at his neck. "R-Riku, seriously. Stop," he forced himself to demand, albeit halfheartedly.

Riku ceased his ministrations and locked gazes with the brunette. "But I thought you trusted me."

"I-I do! But…how is that relevant?" Sora demanded. "Do you love me?"

Riku was taken aback and struck speechless. "Uh…"

"Because only people in love kiss," Sora explained, sounding as if Riku was touched in the head for not knowing that.

Riku, comprehension dawning on his features, smirked. "Or people in _lust_."

"L-Lust?" Sora stammered, a healthy blush staining his cheeks.

Riku flicked his hair over his shoulder to get it out of his way and nodded, still smirking. As he leaned down again, Sora caught sight of something that made him cup the sides of Riku's face and turn the vampire's head to the side.

"Sora?"

"What's this?" He traced his fingers over the alien markings behind Riku's left ear. The two characters were nearly three inches long together, running down the back of Riku's neck, usually hidden by his hair.

Riku shivered under Sora's touch. That was one of his seven most sensitive spots. "Envy," he replied. "It says 'envy'."

"The Deadly Sin?"

"You know them?" Riku asked, slightly surprised. Then, he remembered, laughing. "Right, you're all pious little Christians around here." He glanced up at the stained glass windows of the church across the courtyard and then down to the silver cross hanging around Sora's neck—case in point.

"Yes," Sora murmured. "The Seven Deadly Sins: _S__uperbia_,_ Avaritia, Luxuria_,_ Invidia_,_ Gula_,_ Ira_,and _Acedia_. Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Anger, and Sloth."

Riku nodded, grinning amusedly. "Then you must know of the Seven Holy Virtues, as well."

Sora felt like he was in class all over again, much to his irritation, but he recited them anyway. "_Humilitas_, _Liberalis_, _Virtus_, _Humanitas_, _Frenum_, _Patientia_, and _Industria_. Humility, Generosity, Chastity, Charity, Moderation, Meekness, and Zeal."

Riku nodded again. "Very good."

Sora thought for a moment, ignoring the amused look he was receiving. "Why do you have Envy on your neck?"

"I have all of them," Riku answered. "All vampires do. They're in a different place for everyone."

"Where are the others?"

Riku smirked. "As much as I'd love to show you, I'll salvage what little decency I have and show you only this one." He held out his right wrist, displaying two more characters branded into his skin beneath his palm. "Gluttony. The rest are hidden beneath my clothes." At the playful twinkle in his eyes, Sora suddenly remembered his compromising position and forced Riku up.

Sora brushed off his pants and straightened his clothing, bending to grab his and Riku's swords out of the grass. He glanced up at the sky, noticing how it had gotten distinctly darker. He turned to say his farewells to Riku, only to find the vampire gone. He looked this way and that, but the pale boy was no where to be seen. "Odd," Sora murmured. Shrugging, he headed inside.

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**A/N: **The names of the Sins in italics are in Latin, by the way. Oh, and I also wanted to point out a flaw in this chapter: erm, well, the Seven Deadly Sins technically weren't instituted until 604 AD, so my story is historically incorrect on that part, but ah well. And, if anyone wants to know what Riku's "tatoos" look like, you can check it out at this site: **http/ japanese . about . com / bl50kanji sins . htm** I know that there aren't really any references to Japan in this story, but I figured that since their names are Japanese (which is another flaw, since they live in Medieval Europe in these flashback-type chapters O.o;;) that Riku's "tattoos" should be in Kanji.

Anyway, enough rambling, review, onegai!

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	7. Chapter the Seventh

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

**A/N: **I typed the web address in the last chapter wrong, the one for the Kanji symbols, so anyone who couldn't get it, sorry, and here it is again: **http (slash slash) japanese (dot) about (dot) com (slash) bl50kanji sins (dot) htm** If it isn't obvious, just delete the spaces in between the letters 'n stuff and replace the stuff in paranthesis with slashes and dots and the site should come up. Okie, well, THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR BEING AWESOME PEOPLE AND REVIEWING MY STORY. I love you all.

For **TaintedWolf**, I quote: "...can I point out that I don't think they had CD players in Medieval Europe". Did I say that they had CD players in Medieval Europe? O.o... I hope not, because that would be a very big mistake. I think you might've misunderstood; only the flashback chapters, the ones that start with "506 AD" take place in Medieval Europe. The others are present-day Destiny Islands... well, not exactly Destiny Islands, since this is an AU, but you know what I mean. I hope.

And for **flamethrowerqueen**, I have you plushie of Ayame holding the banana right next to Shigure holding the condom. Teehee. XD I'll make sure to mention it in my next update of _We're All Just Stupid People_, too, but in case I forget, I figured I'd give it to you here, also.

And **azamegumi**, your stories are wonderful! Don't talk down on yourself. Hehe, listen to me being a hypocrite, but oh well.

Okie everyone, now for the chapter. Enjoy :D

Oy, **FYI**, "Samhain" is a Wiccan sabbat that's on October 31. Basically, it's Halloween, except celebrated for religious purposes, and no trick-or-treating is involved. You can look it up on the Internet if you're interested!

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The bell above the door jingled in welcome as someone entered the shop, the air heavy with sandalwood incense. Lulu peered into the store before stepping inside out of the wind. She brushed her fingers through his mussed locks, which promptly fell back into place.

"Greetings, Lulu," the shop owner called from behind the counter. She smiled amiably at him, tightening her grip on her bag.

"Happy Samhain," she said.

"Same to you," he replied. "Big plans tonight?"

"Yes, with my coven."

"Ah, you're with Yuna, right?"

"Mmhm."

As if on cue, a woman walked through a beaded door near the back of the shop, a bottle of oil in her hand and a few black candles tucked under her arm. Upon sighting Lulu, the brunette stopped and restrained the scowl automatically working across her face. "Hello," Yuna said tersely.

The shop keeper shied away, turning his back and pretending to fiddle with something hanging on the wall. The store was practically empty, save for the two standing and watching each other guardedly.

Lulu forced a tight-lipped smile. "Happy Samhain, Yuna."

"Happy Samhain."

Silence reigned.

Then, Lulu spoke. "What'cha got there?" she asked, gesturing towards the candles under Yuna's arm.

"Preparations for tonight," Yuna answered smoothly. "You're coming, right?" she inquired, stepping towards the dark-haired woman.

"Of course."

Another second of subtle glaring, and then Yuna sighed, releasing the tension. "Listen, Lulu," she said. "I hope you haven't been doing anything…unethical lately."

"Like…?" Lulu lifted an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Like, I don't know," Yuna looked away, suddenly interested in one of the book titles beside her, "poppet magick?"

"What's wrong with poppet magick?" Lulu wondered, sounding affronted.

"From all of the poppet magick you've done, Lulu," Yuna said, acid seeping into her voice, "you have twenty years worth of negative energy coming your way."

"Poppet magick does not warrant an energy backlash," Lulu snapped.

"_Any _sort of magick can warrant an energy backlash when it's misused!" Yuna's voice was slowly rising. "Have you forgotten the threefold law?"

"Of course not!" Lulu rejoined just as heatedly. "_Ever mind the Rule of Three/ Three times __what thou givest returns to thee/ This lesson well thou must learn/ Thee only gets what thou dost earn_," she recited, not missing a beat.

"It's not enough to know the rhyme, you have to live by it!"

"I HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING WRONG!"

"THEN WHAT IS THIS!" Yuna's hand shot out, and she deftly reached into Lulu's bag, pulling out a small wooden box. As Lulu tried to snatch it back, Yuna spun out of the way and opened it, displaying the contents. She held the green and blue dolls in her hands, their heads tied together with red string. "Poppets, Lulu! They're poppets! What have you done? Who did you do it for?"

"It's none of your business!" Lulu grabbed her belongings and hastily stuffed them back into her bag. "What I do in my spare time is no concern of yours."

"My only concern is you, Lulu. You know that negative energy gets returned to you threefold. And yet you continued to practice potentially harmful spells!" Yuna said, picking up her bottle of oil and her candles, which she'd dropped in her haste to invade Lulu's bag.

"I was helping a friend! Harmful, you say?"

"Helping or not, it's still immoral! There were two people affected by that spell that you had there," Yuna said, gesturing towards Lulu's bag where the poppets were safely stowed away. "Did both consent to your doing it? If you put a spell on someone without their knowing, it's WRONG! It's wrong and it's going to land you in trouble!"

Lulu shook her head. "It's none of your concern, Yuna," she said flatly.

The brunette sighed exasperatedly and went to pay for her things. The shop keeper deemed the situation safe and turned back around, ringing up Yuna's items. Without facing Lulu, Yuna asked, "So you're coming tonight?"

"You asked me that already. Yes."

"At eleven thirty. Don't be late."

"I know. Outside the cemetery, right?"

"Right."

"Here you are." The man handed Yuna her bag. Yuna bowed her head in thanks and said farewell before turning to head out the door.

She stopped before departing, her hand on the doorknob, and said quietly, "Blessèd be, Lulu."

Then she left, the bell above the door jingling as she did.

Lulu nodded, smirking. "Blessèd be, Yuna."

She glanced up at the plaque hanging over the door, a plank with eight words burned lovingly into its honey-colored wood: _An' it harm none, do what ye will_.

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"Ugh…_Halloween_." Leon scowled, looking down at the trick-or-treaters. "I can't stand this phony holiday. Do they even _know _what they're celebrating?"

Riku glanced over at his friend and chuckled. "Doubt it."

"Some of them do," Lulu interjected, appearing suddenly.

Riku jumped, startled. "When'd you get here? Don't you have some gathering or something to attend?"

Lulu laughed. "You mean our Circle."

"Yeah, that. What's your coven's name again? Final Fantasy?"

The witch nodded. "Yes. Yuna arranged the meeting for eleven thirty. It's not even nine, yet."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"Just wondering how my little spell is progressing." Lulu smiled, though there was a hint of wickedness behind her dark lips.

Leon cast Riku a sidelong glance, then returned to gazing down from the church roof. "What spell?" he asked.

"A spell to win back Sora's love," Riku answered nonchalantly, leaning against the cold tiles. The chill didn't register with him.

Leon shook his head. "You really are irrational sometimes, Riku."

"What do you mean by that?" Riku snapped.

"I mean, how do you know you even ever had his love to begin with? From what happened, it makes one wonder—"

"Shut up." Riku groaned, closing his eyes. "First Vincent, now you. Why is _everyone _getting on my case?"

"Vincent likes getting on your case because it annoys you. _I'm _getting on your case because I'm trying to point out your mistakes before it's too late to fix them," Leon said calmly.

"Look." Riku sighed, sitting up again and turning to the taciturn brunette. "I have everything under control. The spell is working, at the risk of sounding redundant, like a charm."

Leon shook his head again. "If you say so."

"I do say so." Riku stood, brushing the dust off of his tight, black jeans. Oh, the joys of modern fashion. "Well, I'm hungry. Care to join?" He extended his hand to the brunette, who took it and allowed Riku to pull him to his feet.

Leon glanced around. "The witch is gone."

Riku waved a hand idly. "Good riddance."

The two disappeared and reappeared on the ground, the passing trick-or-treaters oblivious to the sudden appearance of the two figures. They stepped from the shadows of the church and onto the sidewalk, beginning to stroll down it. Children weaved around them—little witches, goblins, ghosts, pumpkins, angels and devils, cinematic characters, and vampires.

Riku sneered as one such trick-or-treater rushed past him, giggling through his plastic fangs. "Wonder what he'd think if he ever saw a real vampire," Riku mused.

"Don't get any ideas, Riku," Leon warned. "We don't want a repeat of 1983."

"Says you," the other scoffed.

Stopping in front of a house under a maple tree, the two paused and took in the sights of the bustling street in the nighttime hour.

"Trick-or-treat!" chorused behind them. Moments later, the click of a door opening answered, followed by a man greeting the children brightly.

"Hey there!"

Leon tensed as the voice reached his ears, his heart lurching. Riku's eyes widened. He did what Leon appeared unable to do and turned around. He breathed a dry laugh and said, "Well, look what we have here."

Leon finally gathered his mettle about him and looked over his shoulder. His breath barely had time to hitch before he was darting forward, jumping the low picket fence surrounding the property and pushing through the group of kids, who let out indignant "hey!"s. He bounded up the porch steps, calling to the young man who was about to close the front door. The boy stopped, turning, and no sooner had his bright, blue eyes met Leon's steely ones than Leon had reached him, gripping his shoulders and pinning the blue-eyed boy to the doorframe.

The boy looked startled. "The _fuck?_"

None of this was registering with Leon. All he saw was the spiked, blonde hair, the blue eyes, the perfect face—and that oh-so-infamous glare that he finally realized he was receiving. He shook his head, whispering, "Cloud?"

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**A/N: **OoohHOO... the plot thickens. More on Cloud in chapters to come! Yes, this is LeonxCloud, as well.

**TBC!**

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	8. Chapter the Eighth

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

**A/N: **Oy, I messed up that web address... again. Stupid FFN formating. Anyway, for the LAST time, here's the site to the tattoo references:

**http(slash slash)japanese(dot)about(dot)com(slash)bl50kanji(one of those low dash thingies- hit shift, dash to get it if you don't know what I'm talking about)sins(dot)htm**

And if that doesn't work, and you still wanna see 'em, just e-mail me and I'll link the site to you.

**azamegumi**: You can too write, very well in fact. :)

**fearlessreverie**: Hehe, this story is all about hinting, one of those where you don't learn the truth until, like, the last chapter. But I think it's worth the wait. Thanks for the awesome reviews! -**glomps chuu**-

Okay, now, enjoy!

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**.506 AD.  
**

His footsteps echoed in the spacious stone corridor as he ran down it, the reverberations making him jumpier still. Why was it taking so long to reach his destination? Or did it just seem that way?

Finally, he was standing before the towering wooden doors and hastily pushed them open. "Father!" He ran forward to where his parents were sitting, his mother reading some text or other.

Slowly, his father rose, taking in the sight of his eldest son breathless and panicked, so contrary to his usual collected composure. "Cloud?"

"The serfs have swamped the gate!" Cloud said.

His father's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"It's the barbarians; they've invaded the fief!" Cloud reported earnestly.

The lord swept forward, motioning for his wife to remain seated as she began to rise. "Where's Sora?"

"I haven't seen him."

"Go gather the knights, and if you see Sora, tell him to report to this room immediately."

"Will do." Cloud went to leave, but was stayed by his father's voice.

"Rally the knights, and guard the gate. Keep the serfs calm, and don't panic. Send some men out onto the fief to salvage what we can."

"Will do," Cloud said again, taking in his father's instructions. He then left to carry them out and launch the counterattack, all the while hoping that his little brother was somewhere safe.

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"Roxas!" Sora called. "Roxas, are you in here?" He pushed open yet another door, searching for his cousin.

"I'm right here," Roxas answered, coming out of a room down the corridor. "What is it, Sora?"

Sora grinned his trademark lopsided grin. "Wanna go a round?" he asked, brandishing his dull-edged sword.

The blonde waved his hand tiredly. "Not in the mood."

"Come on!" Sora persisted. "It'll cheer you up!" Roxas seemed to waver, so Sora continued. "How are you ever going to live up to your father's reputation if you don't practice?"

At the mention of his late father, Roxas winced, but nonetheless took Sora's words into consideration. "All right, let's go." The two set out for the courtyard.

Only to be met with the sight of their training ground packed with…people.

Haggard, dirty, sickly people, with work-worn countenances and ragged clothes. The serfs. Sora and Roxas ducked back into the corridor, trading nervous glances. What were the serfs doing in the castle? They turned to retreat back to Sora's bedroom, where they tacitly decided to spend the rest of the afternoon, when Sora tripped over the foot of a bench placed against the wall of the open corridor, almost falling on the person sprawled out across the maple wood. "Whoa!"

The person twitched, seeming to wake up from their prior slumber. The person was thin, but not unhealthily so, long-limbed and seemingly nimble. He stretched languidly, arching his back off the bench and then sitting up. He shook his head, as if to chase away the residual sleep, and turned to the two boys. "Greetings, young lords," he said, an almost too-large grin breaking out across his face.

Sora was speechless, captivated by the eyes of this…person. They were slanted and looked almost _yellow_, or maybe it was a trick of the light, but whatever it was, it was unnerving. His cheeks were a healthy pink, whisker-like scars running from his nose to his ears. The catlike appearance was only enforced by the man's hair—his red-violet mop of hair that stuck up every which way, two tufts collecting on top in a manner that made the man appear to have _ears_—cat ears. And that _grin_… Sora had never seen a grin so wide or devious.

The man cocked his head at their bewildered silence, standing and stretching his arms above his head. The grin was ever-present. "Well, well, well…what might you fine young gentlemen be doing out here?" he asked.

"Uh…well…we…uh…" Roxas stammered, taking an instinctive step away from the man.

"You should spend your time most wisely, young lords. Time is fleeting, indeed, and one should ne'er think to waste such a precious thing as _time_. Never, says I. I say never, and you should really think on my advice."

"What are you talking about?" Sora wondered confusedly.

The man turned his feline-like eyes on the brunette. "Heed my words, young lord, for you have naught but a year to live. And you," he pointed a finger at Roxas, still grinning eerily, "even shorter a time. Time is fleeting, indeed."

Sora felt sick suddenly. "Stop talking in riddles."

"Riddles? Do I talk in riddles? Methinks I talk in no riddles, I speak but the truth, and the truth is what I speak. The young lords should listen whilst I speak, and the young lords should most definitely listen with ears so open as the sky above. Now listen, listen m'lords, listen to me whilst I speak about your time not to be wasted. Indeed, waste it not, for it is fleeting."

Roxas murmured to Sora, "He's just repeating himself! We're getting nowhere with this."

"You are not listening!" the man said, his grin and tone deceptively calm. "Listen, listen, lest your lives be wasted heedlessly, needlessly, listen whilst I speak! A year, a year, young lord," he said to Sora. "A year have you to live. A year from this day, you shall die. Die you shall, a year from this day, this very day."

Sora paled. "Wh-What? What are you talking about?"

"Why, your death, young lord." His eyes shifted to meet Roxas' stunned stare. "And you, m'lord, your time is drastically shorter, waste it not. Waste it not, says I, or regret it, you shall."

Roxas shook his head, though he looked distinctly sicklier than he had a moment ago. "Sora, let's go. He's lying." He pulled on Sora's arm and dragged the brunette away.

Sora glanced over his shoulder at the man, only to find him gone. Then, Sora's breath hitched as what appeared to be the man's manic grin looked to be _hanging in midair_. Blinking, the apparition disappeared, but the unease in Sora's stomach stayed for a while after.

"_Time is fleeting, indeed, and one should ne'er think to waste such a precious thing as _time_."_

Sora clenched his jaw, thinking with a certain desperation, _I wish Riku was here._

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Riku's eyes fluttered open and he stared up at the blue sky. The wind blew over the grassy hilltop on which he lay, just…watching the clouds go by. Despite the surrounding peace, his stomach felt knotted with worry. What was he worried about? What did he _have _that would need to be worried about? Some errand he had to run, a task he needed to do…? Perhaps, it wasn't some_thing _but some_one _that he was worried about. Someone…

He sat up with a start, gasping, "Sora!"

He instinctively gathered the power he needed to teleport from the land where he'd come to relax back to Sora's castle, when he caught himself, sighing heavily and running a hand over his face. "What am I doing?" he groaned to himself. Why was he getting so worked up over _that boy? _What made _him _so special that he warranted Riku's concern? Why was he even concerned in the first place? It felt as if he'd received some internal distress call from the brunette, but that was just ridiculous. So vampires had heightened senses and sharp intuitions, but the feeling of Sora needing him could have really all been in his head.

Right?

Riku sighed again, laying back down and rolling onto his side. "This is stupid," he muttered.

"What's stupid?"

Riku sat up again, glancing over his shoulder to see none other than his brother watching him with aqua eyes that mirrored Riku's own, silver hair caught on the breeze. Riku shook his head. "Nothing, Sephiroth."

"You seem troubled," Sephiroth noted, cocking his head inquisitively.

"I'm fine," Riku ground out, not in the mood to play the mind games his brother was always sure to initiate. He suddenly felt appreciative of the fact that vampires couldn't read each other's minds. He wouldn't want Sephiroth to know that he was worried about some petty boy, of all things. Especially when he should be worried about more important matters, like perhaps the fact that Sora (presumably) hadn't said a word to his parents about the conditions of the livestock. He'd have to go see him again.

Hopefully this time he could control himself enough to where he could actually _discuss _the matter with Sora and use his mouth for something other than kissing. Although, that wasn't a totally undesirable use for his mouth. Maybe he could get past the kissing, if he was lucky. He grinned impishly, though Sephiroth missed it since Riku had laid back down again, his back to his older brother. Heh, kissing…nipping…licking…suck—

_Stop! _Riku chided himself. _Stop that train of thought, right there. Ugh, I'm such a horny bastard. _

His fingers idly ran beneath the cloth of his tunic to the markings below his naval, the two characters that spelled "Lust". He shivered at the touch.

"I presume that you haven't heard of the attack."

Riku glanced again over his shoulder. "Attack?"

"Yes. You know of the fief that used to have the best cattle? Emphasis on the words 'used to'."

Riku nodded. Sephiroth was talking about Sora's father's fief.

"They were attacked."

Riku sat up, eyes widening. "What?"

"They were attacked. By the Vikings, I think." Sephiroth shrugged, as if it were no big deal, while Riku's heart was racing.

_So maybe Sora really _is _in trouble_, he thought nervously. Wasting no time, he disappeared.

Sephiroth laughed to the empty air, laying back with his hands tucked behind his head. "My, my, Little Brother…what am I going to do with you?"

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**A/N: **Could anyone tell who that mysterious man who predicted Sora and Roxas' deaths was supposed to be? If you don't know, think Disney. And if you still don't know, think Alice in Wonderland. And if you still don't know, then I have failed as a writer. Hehe, well, anyway... OH NO, SEPHIROTH! Mwahahaha, what is his role in the grand scheme of things? Wait and find out! More of Cloud and Leon in the next chapter! And then still more after that! Review, or I won't update. Grrr. Hehe, anyway, until the next chapter.

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	9. Chapter the Ninth

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

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"Cloud?"

The blonde shook his head. "How the hell do you know me? _Who the fuck are you?_" Cloud may have been one to curse on a regular basis, but only when he was truly disconcerted did he ever curse more than once over a span of ten seconds. "LET ME GO, DAMMIT!" he shouted when Leon just stood there, pinning him to the doorframe, seemingly unable to form coherent words.

"…Cloud…?"

"YES, MY NAME IS CLOUD! WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?"

This sent a group of approaching trick-or-treaters away, screaming about strange men and bad language. Cloud groaned, finally taking the initiative and breaking free of Leon's now-limp grasp. The stunned brunette staggered backwards onto the porch, staring at the door as it closed and locked with an audible _click_.

Oh, the perks of being a vampire.

Leon dissolved into the air and reappeared on the other side. From his spot on the sidewalk, Riku heard a terrified scream, followed by an interesting string of colorful language which basically went like: "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING IN HERE? HOW IN THE FUCKING _HELL_ DID YOU GET IN? WHAT ARE YOU, A GODDAMN STALKER? I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO THE HELL YOU ARE!" and so on. Riku chuckled before melting into the shadows and retreating to some farm on the other side of the island where he planned to get his nightly meal. It looked like Leon was going to miss out, but it didn't really seem that he had much of an appetite anymore.

Leon was currently pinning Cloud to the blonde's couch, straddling his waist and holding Cloud's wrists above his head. Cloud was breathing heavily, flushed and frightened. Leon had to resist the urge to take advantage of this very compromising position and instead allowed the blonde a minute to calm down. But he was only offering a minute. It had been, after all, fifteen hundred years since he'd last seen Cloud.

Finally, when the brunette could sense that his captive was a little more relaxed, he said, "My name is Leon." Cloud just blinked, waiting for further explanation. Leon had to keep his wits about him to refrain from losing himself in Cloud's eyes. _Such beautiful eyes…_ "I…uh…I'm…" Now that he'd gotten this far, what was he supposed to say? The sheer shock of seeing Cloud had initially spurred him to pin the blonde to the doorframe and then afterwards follow him inside, all leading up to where he was now sitting on him on the couch, holding him prisoner. But, what was he supposed to _say?_

"So Leon," Cloud spoke, feigning casualness, "d'you mind telling me what the _fuck _you're doing in my house?"

Leon grimaced. "You really have a dirty mouth."

"Oh forgive me," Cloud scoffed. "I'll remember my manners the next time I'm _jumped _by a goddamn stranger!"

Leon winced, not at Cloud's caustic tone, but at being called a "stranger" by the one person that was as strange to him as the back of his hand. "Cloud…I…" His mind was reeling with memories, with anxiety, with uncertainty. What if Cloud rejected him? He didn't think he could live with that. But, with Cloud here, _right in front of him_, he couldn't pass up the opportunity of rekindling their old relationship. So, finally coming to a decision, albeit a pretty irrational one, he said, "Iloveyou."

All anger melted from Cloud's face, and he blinked. "What?"

Leon took a shaky breath, repeating himself more slowly. "I love you."

Cloud huffed. "Okay, _Leon_, quit fucking around with me and get the hell out of my house! I don't even know you!"

Leon shook his head earnestly. "Yes, you do. Or…you did."

"Look, man, I don't know you and, even if I did, you're wasting your time because I'm not gay." Cloud blew a skewed bang out of his eyes, idly noting that his arms were getting tired from being pinned above his head.

Leon let slip a dry laugh. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Mind if I test you?"

"Whatev—wait, _what?_"

Without further warning, Leon bent down and captured the blonde's lips with his own. He felt the resistance fade from Cloud as his initial struggles died, and Cloud kissed him back, losing himself in the moment. For some reason, the sheer familiarity of this "stranger's" kiss made him forget…everything…

Of course, when Leon pulled back, Cloud's mind returned to him, and he blushed a deep red. "What the fuck was that for?" he demanded heatedly.

Leon smirked. "Not gay, huh?" Then, his thoughts drifting, Leon murmured, "It's just a stupid label, anyway. I hate this century; everything's about _labels_."

"What are you going on about? And _who are you?_"

"My name is—"

"Cut the crap, I know your name. But _who _are you?"

"In a past life, I was your lover."

Cloud seemed to turn this over in his head once before deciding that it was total bullshit and asking again, "No, seriously, who are you?"

"I just told you."

"In a past life?" Cloud echoed dubiously. "What are you, some New Age hocus-pocus freak?"

"No, I'm a vampire."

"All right, so—hold on, a WHAT?"

"A vampire."

"THE FUCK! What are you trying to pull? Get the hell off of me and out of my house!"

"No."

"YES!"

"No."

"YES!"

"…No."

"ARRGH!" Cloud screamed, about ready to pull his hair out if only his hands weren't trapped.

_Ding Dong_.

Cloud glanced over at his door. "Trick-or-treaters," he murmured.

_Ding Dong._

"Persistent little brats," Leon growled.

Cloud seemed to have calmed down again. He looked up at Leon warily. "Are you really a…"

"Vampire?"

Cloud nodded.

"Yes, I am."

The blonde frowned. "Prove it."

"What do you want me to do? Bite you?"

"I'd prefer you didn't."

"Well, I can read your mind."

"Liar." Cloud smirked. "Then what am I thinking, right now?"

"That I'd look hot in leather."

Cloud blanched. Though that hadn't been the forefront of his thoughts, he had been thinking that somewhere in the back of his mind. "I-I…I wasn't thinking that…!"

"Then why are you stuttering? You only stutter when you lie."

"And you would know this…how?"

"Because you used to try to tell me that you didn't want me, that you were disgusted with me, that you never wanted to see my face again—every time before you let me kiss you and hold you and sleep with you. And you always, _always _stuttered." Leon smirked self-satisfactorily at the anxious look on Cloud's face, reiterating, "You only stutter when you lie."

Cloud groaned. "BUT I'M NOT GAY!" he claimed definitely.

"Of course you're not. You're just in love with another man. A vampire, to be precise."

"Would that be considered bestiality?" Cloud wondered absently.

Leon grimaced. "No. Vampires aren't animals."

"Then what are they?"

"Demons."

"Oh, that's _so _much better," Cloud scoffed. "And I'm not in love with you!"

Hurt flashed briefly through Leon's steely eyes, replaced quickly with a wistful sort of understanding. "I know. I don't expect you to be. I'm just…asking for you to give me a chance to make you fall in love with me…_again._" He sighed, taking the somewhat audacious prerogative to flatten himself on top of the blonde. Cloud resisted the urge to push the vampire away, feeling somehow…comforted by Leon's nearness, as absurd as it seemed. Feeling suddenly very out of character, but not caring in the slightest, Leon whispered, "I've just…missed you…a lot…and I never thought I'd actually see you again…"

Cloud frowned as he found his now-free hand moving to stroke Leon's hair. "What… What was I? In my past life, I mean."

"A knight."

"A…knight?"

"Mmhm, in medieval Europe."

"…Wow."

"Yeah."

"…Leon…?"

"Hmmm?"

"How did I…die?"

000

Sora was depressed. Really, with a bucket of candy in front of him, one would think, "How is it possible?" But it was. Sora was depressed. He was suffering from Riku withdrawal.

So it had only been a couple weeks since he'd seen the silver-haired vampire, and it was true that he didn't exactly know Riku, or was in any sort of relationship with him, and yet here he was, suffering from being deprived of Riku's presence. He felt pathetic.

Kairi and Naminé were sitting on Sora's front porch with the brunette, happily chatting away and munching on Hershey's chocolate, Reese's Pieces peanut butter cups, and other assorted sweets collected from their trick-or-treating. Sora stood, brushing off his pants, and announced, "I'm going for a walk."

Kairi looked up, her heavily outlined eyes blinking. "What?"

"I'm going for a walk," Sora repeated.

"Oh." Kairi seemed concerned. "Do you…want us to come with you?"

"Nah, I just need a minute alone," Sora said, beginning to head across his front lawn.

Naminé stood, also looking worried. "Okay…um…just don't go very far! Curfew is in a half-hour…make sure you're back by then!"

Sora waved idly over his shoulder. "I know!" Sensing his friends' uneasiness, he turned around and flashed them a smile. "Don't worry!" he called. "I'll be back in a few minutes!"

He turned onto the sidewalk, and soon he was out of the girls' sights. Breathing a sigh, he tucked his hands behind his head and glanced up at the moon. It was a crescent, and it was really pretty. Sora's princely cape twisted in the wind around his legs, the breeze combing through his cinnamon locks, teasing his hair. He knew it wasn't normal to miss someone who was practically a complete stranger so much, but…miss him, he did. His mind couldn't help but drift over the various kisses he'd shared with Riku, twice on the first night he'd met him (which he now remembered as clearly as if it had been last night) and then the third time at the pumpkin field where Sora had practically jumped him. Not that Sora really _knew _how to jump someone, but that wasn't the point.

With his meandering thoughts, Sora found himself softly singing a whimsical tune. Whatever the original lyrics had been, they'd now all been replaced with one word: Riku. He alternated stressing the syllables to fit the song and kept with the melody, and soon found himself feeling rather giddy.

Until he was interrupted.

"I think I know that song."

Sora stopped and looked up. There was Riku (no one saw that coming, right?), reclining in the boughs of a palm tree. He smirked down at the boy and leapt from the tree, landing gracefully before Sora. Sora took the opportunity to glance around and realize that he'd strolled down to the shore, which wasn't, in fact, that far from his house. Riku also took the opportunity to look Sora up and down, a frown creasing his beautiful features.

"What are you wearing?" he asked.

Sora looked up. "Huh? Oh, a Halloween costume."

Riku felt a headache coming on as his mind was bombarded with forcefully suppressed memories. "Any…particular reason you picked _that _costume?"

"What?" Sora looked down at his royal getup, from his blue tunic to his black, wide-cut pants, the ends tucked into a pair of ankle-high boots. Around his waist, he'd tied a simple rope to act as a belt of sorts, his black cape fastened to his shirt at his shoulder. "Um…not really…"

Riku's breath hitched as his eyes fell on the amulet hanging around Sora's neck. He reached out and took it between his fingers, dropping it quickly, as if burned. "Dammit," he cursed.

Sora's feeling of unease began to blossom. "What?"

"Where'd you get that?" Riku asked earnestly, pointing at Sora's necklace.

Sora looked down at the silver amulet. It was shaped like a crown, hanging on a matching silver chain. "My father gave it to me," he answered, chancing a glance back up at Riku, who seemed particularly irked. "And his father gave it to him, and his father gave it to him, and so on. I guess it's a family heirloom. Either way, I-I thought it went pretty well with my costume."

"Hn." Riku seemed to be fighting to keep some sort of emotion from leaking into his expression.

After a few moments of tense silence, Sora murmured, "Riku?"

At Sora's fearful tone, Riku melted, his hard countenance softening into something akin to sympathy. "Hm?"

"C-Can you…erm…well, uh…can you…k-kiss me?"

Riku looked surprised at that, but eagerly obliged, grinning and wrapping his arms around the shorter boy, pulling Sora into a fierce kiss. Sora barely had time to squeak in surprise before his mouth was sealed by Riku's, not that he minded or anything. But what he _did _mind was the bitter tang of blood on Riku's tongue. He pulled away immediately, wiping at his mouth.

Riku gave a sheepish laugh, understanding Sora's reaction. "Sorry about that. But…a guy's gotta eat, you know? And," he continued quickly as Sora opened his mouth to speak, "before you ask, no, I didn't bite a human. It was a cow."

"A cow?"

"Yes. As a rule, vampires don't bite humans."

"Oh." Sora didn't know what to say. He licked his lips, debating on whether or not kissing Riku was worth the acrid taste in the vampire's mouth. Wrapping his arms around Riku's neck, he decided that it was.

Riku was immediately lost to the sensations of Sora's lips and tongue and whatever the hell else was connecting with Riku's mouth, and suddenly wanted to be somewhere where he could comfortably lay down and enjoy everything all the more. That was what led him to teleport away from the shore and into Sora's living room, where they appeared on the couch, Sora on top of Riku with Riku's arms around the brunette's waist. Sora was too far gone to really notice the sudden change of scenery.

But he did notice when Kairi suddenly screamed, "WHAT THE HELL!"

Sora jumped, consequently falling sideways off of Riku and off of the couch. Riku sat up, promptly glaring at the redhead. "Must you _always _interrupt?" he couldn't help but snap.

Kairi stomped up to the silver-haired boy and raised her fist, swinging it forcefully to connect with Riku's jaw.

"SHIT!" Riku swore as stars erupted behind his eyes. _Didn't see that coming, _he thought dryly. _Damn, she packs quite a punch. _He was vaguely aware of collapsing back onto the couch

"KAIRI!" Sora shouted, climbing back onto the couch to check on the other boy.

"Sora, what the _hell_ has gotten _into_ you?" Kairi demanded. "And who the _hell _is _he?_" she added, gesturing towards Riku. "AND WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GUYS COME FROM? You tell us you're going for a walk and we wait and come back inside to find you making-out with this whore on the couch we didn't even see you come in how the hell did you get in here and what the—"

"Hold it!" Riku shouted above the redhead's ceaseless ranting, rising to his feet. "Who are you calling a _whore?_"

"Take a wild guess!" Kairi replied heatedly.

Riku stood so that he was practically nose-to-nose (or…eye-to-nose what with the height difference and all) with Kairi. The anger was so thick one would swear they could cut it with a knife. But no one would dare attempt that because surely either Riku or Kairi would take said knife and try to run the other through with it.

"I AM NOT A WHORE!" Riku exclaimed. For some reason that accusation stuck in his mind above all else.

"THE HELL YOU AREN'T! You don't even _know_ Sora and here you are, all _over _him like you _own _him! So, what? You couldn't find some other slut to screw so you had to go after innocent, unsuspecting SORA? I bet you could just _tell_, you could just tell the first time you laid eyes on him that he'd be an easy lay, right?"

"FUCK YOU!" Riku cried, unable to think of a witty retort (a first, surely).

Kairi smirked. "No, you'd rather fuck Sora—"

"Damn right I'd rather fuck Sora," Riku rejoined. Sora, sitting by on the couch, squeaked in surprise. "And do you want to know _why?_" the silver-haired boy continued, unfazed by Sora's reaction.

"Because you're a whore?" Kairi deadpanned.

"Because I'm in fucking_ love_ with him!"

This shocked the others into silence.

Then, Naminé spoke for the first time since the beginning of the whole ordeal. "Wh-Who are you, Riku?" she asked quietly.

Riku opened his mouth, but immediately closed it again, seemingly indecisive about his response. So, he answered with a question of his own. "What do you want me to say?"

"How about a full name?" Kairi said in a clipped tone. "Perhaps an address? We've never seen you around here before. Or, what about an age? How old are you?"

"My full name is…Riku. I don't have a last name."

"Oh, that's not suspicious at _all_," Kairi quipped.

Riku ploughed on. "I don't have an address, per se, and I don't know how old I am. I'd wager I'm at least three thousand years old."

"The _hell?_" was Kairi's immediate response. "Are you insane, Riku?"

The other smirked. "No, I'm a vampire."

Silence.

Kairi was the first the break from her stupor. "Yeah, and I'm Captain Hook."

Riku adopted a deadpan expression. "I'm serious."

"He is," a quiet voice piped up from behind Riku. Sora appeared, nestling his chin in the crook of Riku's shoulder, snaking his arms around Riku's waist. "He's really a vampire."

Kairi shook her head. "Sora, are you on something?"

"Why don't you believe us?" Sora asked.

"Sora, seriously!" Kairi threw her hands up in exasperation. "Why would you expect me to believe a story like _that?_ A vampire? Get real!"

Sora giggled, something that seemed very out of place for the moment. Reaching up, he hooked his fingers at the corners of Riku's mouth and pulled, exposing Riku's teeth and eliciting a protest from the silver-haired boy. "Look!" Sora said, ignoring Riku's objections. "He has fangs!"

Kairi and Naminé stared. Sure, they looked like "fangs", but…anything was possible nowadays. Kairi asked, "What's the proof that they're real?"

"I could demonstrate." Riku grinned, watching Kairi like a wolf would watch its prey.

Sora whacked Riku on the head. "No," he admonished. "No biting. What about your ethics?"

Riku rubbed his abused crown. "Jesus, I was just kidding."

Kairi wasn't so certain.

"Well," Sora said, "you asked how we just suddenly appeared in the living room. Riku can teleport! He has funky vampire powers!"

Naminé couldn't help but giggle at the boy's sunny demeanor. Leave it to Sora to brighten what should be a serious and very creepy situation.

"And he can read minds!" Sora added. "And he has these really cool tattoo things, seven of them! One for each Deadly Sin. Show 'em, Riku!" Riku sighed and brandished his right wrist, displaying the "Gluttony" marking. Sora stared at it inquisitively. "I've never seen that one," he said.

"You've only seen one, Sora." Suddenly, Sora grinned and grabbed Riku's wrist, bringing it to his mouth and running his tongue across the characters. Riku whimpered, shivering as a wave of pleasure rolled over him. "S-Stop that," he demanded halfheartedly. How had Sora known that his markings were sensitive? He could only remember Sora knowing that in his past life.

"I was just experimenting." Sora smiled innocently, though one could see through the glass doppelganger of innocence to the devilish grin hiding beneath.

"Hn." Riku pulled his arm back to his side.

"Riku?"

The silver-haired boy turned to face Naminé. "What?"

"Are you really…a vampire?"

Riku smirked. "Yup."

Kairi frowned. "All right, let's say we buy this story. That still doesn't explain how you know Sora, or why you're 'in love' with him."

Riku brought Sora in front of him, wrapping his arms around Sora's shoulders from behind. "I fell in love with Sora fifteen hundred years ago," he explained, "when he was the son of a noble in medieval Europe. He, well…he died, and so I've been waiting for him to be reincarnated."

"Aww, that's so sweet," Naminé cooed.

"So that's who I was?" Sora asked, looking up at Riku, who nodded affirmatively.

"In fact," Riku continued, "you all lived in medieval Europe. You see, souls tend to stick together through the cycle of reincarnation. So people who you were close to in a past life will generally be reincarnated into your next life with you." Riku thought for a moment. "Speaking of which, Sora, do you know someone named 'Cloud'?"

"Huh? Yeah, he's my kendo instructor."

"Kendo?" Riku echoed. Smiling, he said, "So, you're still into sword fighting. It's only natural, of course."

"Riku, why do you want to know about Cloud?" Sora asked.

Riku shrugged. "He was your brother in your past life."

"My…brother?" Sora's blue eyes widened.

Riku nodded.

Silence reigned for the third time that night.

Then, Naminé decided to try and regain some semblence of normalcy, saying, "So, who's up for a movie?" She pulled off her angel wings and tossed them onto the floor beside the couch.

"Right," Kairi said, also tugging off her cat ears.

"Can Riku join?" Sora wondered.

"Sure, why not. Just so long as he doesn't try to jump you in the middle of the movie."

Riku just grinned. "So, what are we watching?"

Kairi made a face, muttering, "_Dracula._"

000

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Review!

**TBC!**

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	10. Chapter the Tenth

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

**A/N: **Sorry for the slow update. T-T But, anyway, here's the next chapter!

**Aza: **I had no idea that "brunette" and "brunet" were different. But then I looked up the word "brunette", and although one of the definitions was just a person with dark hair, another definition was a woman with dark hair, while "brunet" only had the first definition. So, basically, you were right and thank you for correcting me!

**Li the Twilight Knight: **Yup, most of this stuff deals with Wiccanism. But, a lot of the stuff with vampires I made up. :) My best friend is Wiccan, too, kinda. I'm not Wiccan exactly... I'm what some call a "New Age Christian" or a "Christian Witch". Basically it's my own blend of Wiccanism and Christianity.

And thank you to everyone else, too! I love you all. I apologize for my last chapter being a little... extreme (for lack of a better word), what with the swearing and the outbursts. But, I'm a sucker for drama, so what can I say? That chapter was actually the reason I up'd the rating, though that might have been a little unnecessary. Eh, the rating would've gone up in the end, anyway, mostl likely. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter! Anticipate angsty and overdramatic!Sora... well, overdramatic in my opinion, anyway. I made him far too... weepy. -**sighs-** I can't seem to do anything right.

000

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000

**.506 AD.**

Riku landed in the courtyard. On something that strongly protested to being landed on.

"Hey!"

Riku, dazed by the unexpected presence of other people in the courtyard, struggled to his feet, offering a hand to help up the person he had so graciously dropped in on. The person took the offer, sharp nails digging into Riku's palm. He winced, but ignored the pinpricks of pain as the stranger stood. Looking the man up and down, Riku decided he didn't like this person. He didn't like the way their creepy, cat-like eyes observed him or the way his nose twitched curiously.

Riku looked away from the person and around the courtyard, noting with relief that no one else seemed to be disturbed by his sudden appearance. Though, it wouldn't have been hard to realize that Riku certainly didn't belong with this crowd. They were sickly and dirty and everything that he was not. Even the air around them felt tainted with their filth. There was no doubt in his mind that these poor, desolate people were the serfs that worked Sora's father's land.

Speaking of whom. Riku scanned the crowd again and found no trace of Sora. His heart, which had been beating rather quickly at the thought of Sora being in danger, calmed a bit. Perhaps the boy was okay. There didn't seem to be any widespread panic or pandemonium. He quickly concluded that the invaders had not yet reached the castle and that the knights were probably out on the fief fighting them away.

"I see, now, how everything's falling into place. Indeed, I see it clearly."

Riku turned. He hadn't been aware that the strange man was still watching him. The thought was unnerving to say the least. "What was that?" Riku asked.

"So you shall be he, he who brings the destruction. Destruction will be brought by he who will lose everything, everything." The last was said as the man's small, knowing smile erupted into an eerie grin. "What goes up must come down, no?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Riku growled.

"Of course you don't. Not many often know about that which I say, and sometimes me, myself, and I do not know what I speak of, as it is often hidden from mine eyes, the truth of my words. But say it I do, and hence I realize the truth of my words. I am never wrong. Wrong, I am never."

"You should really stop talking," Riku deadpanned, turning away from the man and pushing his way through the crowd. He made it to the open corridor that surrounded the courtyard and continued down it, reaching out with his sensitive senses for Sora's whereabouts. It almost disturbed him how easily he could sense the boy. Soon he'd reached his destination. "Sora!" he called.

The idle chatter he'd heard coming from a nearby room ceased, and a familiar brown-haired head popped out of the doorway. A bright smile spread across Sora's face. "Riku!"

"Sora, who is it?" Roxas appeared at his cousin's side, peering around the older boy and down the corridor. Upon sighting the approaching figure, his eyes narrowed.

Riku ignored the sharp glance he was receiving from the blonde and stepped into the room, consequently forcing Sora back. As soon as they were out of the doorway, Riku captured Sora in a tight embrace. Upon realizing his behavior, however, Riku pulled away and shook his head. Sora was blushing, his smile gone and replaced with an unspoken inquiry that Riku chose not to answer.

"Sora." Roxas stepped around Riku and stood between him and the brunet. "Who is this?" He gestured over his shoulder at Riku, who was looking rather indignant at Roxas's audacity.

"He's…uh…Riku," Sora answered awkwardly.

Roxas turned to the silver-haired boy, glaring at him. "He's a vampire."

Riku started, taking a wary step back.

Sora gripped Roxas's shoulder, feeling the tenseness of his muscles. "But he's not doing any harm!"

The blonde whirled on Sora. "Sora, you know what has to be done—"

"Roxas, no," Sora said earnestly. "You can't hurt him."

"Who are you to say what I can and cannot do!"

"You can't hurt him!"

"BUT WHAT ABOUT—"

"YOU CAN'T HURT HIM!"

"WHAT ABOUT MY FATHER!"

"What _about_ him?"

"Weren't you the one that said I have to live up to my father's reputation?" Roxas demanded. "Well, here I have the opportunity and you're telling me _not _to!"

"Roxas," Sora whimpered. "Not him." He darted around his cousin, clasping Riku's arm. Riku was very confused by the exchange, but remained silent. "You can't."

Roxas was seething. "Damn you." He ran out of the room, fighting back angry tears.

Sora let out a breath, clenching his eyes shut and stumbling over to his bed. Then he began to cry. Riku's brow creased into a worried frown. He reached behind him and shut Sora's door before making his way over to the brunet's side. "Sora?" he whispered as he knelt down on the bed.

Sora had his face buried in his pillow, his shoulders shaking and his sobs barely audible. A shout floated through the window on a cool whisp of wind, followed by a chorus of jocund cheering. The two ignored it. Riku shook Sora's shoulder gently, trying to turn the boy over so he could see his face. "Sora, what's wrong?"

Sora sprang up suddenly, spinning and throwing his arms around Riku's neck, almost knocking the silver-haired vampire backwards. Riku gathered his balance and returned the awkward embrace, wrapping his arms around Sora's back as the boy cried into his shoulder. "I-I'm s-so confused-d, Riku," he sobbed.

Riku smoothed his hand down Sora's spine comfortingly, pressing his lips to Sora's temple. "Shhhh…" he crooned. He moved so that he was leaning against the wall at the head of Sora's bed, the trembling brunet held securely on his lap. Why was he being so compassionate towards the boy? Was it possible that he…held some sort of _feelings _for Sora? He shook his head, returning to the task at hand. "About what?" he asked.

"Ab-About eve-ry-th-thing!"

Riku swallowed. What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to calm Sora down? As he sat trying to think of something, his hand absently continued its path up and down Sora's back. He unconsciously noted how good it felt to hold the boy, as if he was made just to fit in Riku's arms. Riku shook his head again, chasing away the ridiculous notion. "Stop crying," he whispered, "and tell me what's wrong."

"B-But I c-can't st-stop crying-g," Sora choked out. "It's j-just too m-much!" He buried his face deeper into the crook of Riku's neck, and Riku could feel the warm tears soaking through the collar of his tunic.

And then, without warning, Sora pulled away from Riku's neck and looked up at him. Riku's heart nearly broke on the spot when he saw the pain on the brunet's flushed, tear-stained face, his blue eyes swimming in the liquid grief. Before Riku could note another thing about Sora's face, it became all too close for him to see clearly and he felt Sora's lips against his.

With a sudden burst of passionate abandon, Sora tightened his grip around Riku's neck and pulled their lips more forcefully together, making Riku gasp in surprise and giving Sora access to the inside of his mouth. Riku couldn't help but groan at Sora's sudden aggressive demeanor and grew very hot, fire alighting his blood and spreading the searing heat to the tips of every extremity. He held Sora closer to him, savoring each and every sensation that streaked through his nerves as their tongues brushed and lips moved against each other in a lusty, sensuous dance. Riku wouldn't have minded if it'd gone of forever.

However, Sora's mortality would not allow such a thing, and he pulled back for air, taking deep, shuddering breaths. Riku, still in a fog, murmured, "What was that?"

"It's one of th-the things I'm c-confused about," Sora stuttered, tears still trickling from the corners of his downcast eyes, his head tilted down at Riku's chest to hide his shame. "I…really like you, Riku. I don't know how or when I st-started to, but I did…and now you're all I think about."

Why did the news of this make Riku's stomach turn excitedly?

"Even though I d-don't act like it, you're always on my mind. I haven't seen you f-for nearly a week…and I need you around. I'm a l-little afraid r-right now." Sora tugged on a lock of his hair, biting his lip nervously.

"Of what?" Riku whispered.

"W-Well…someone told me that…that I was going to d-die a year from now, and I just—"

"Wait, _what?_" This caught Riku's attention. For some reason the words "Sora" and "die" in the same sentence greatly unsettled him, coupled with the phrase "a year from now". Sora just further tried to hide his face behind his bangs, feeling more than ever like a foolish child. "You're not a foolish child," Riku said softly. "Who told you this?"

"Th-This man…in the courtyard."

"You mean that weird man with the cat-eyes?"

Sora nodded.

"Why would you waste your thoughts on him? He's insane, Sora, don't worry about it." Riku was very much relieved to hear that Sora's source of information was a petty serf who was more than a little touched in the head.

Sora shrugged, but felt a comforted by Riku's words. He was right; there was nothing to worry about. But, that didn't resolve Sora's other issue. What exactly was he feeling for Riku? It wasn't love, he was sure of that (he'd only just met Riku after all), and it was probably a little bit of lust, but he knew that there was more than that. Something deeper than lust but not as great as love. Strong like? That was it. Since Riku had left him in the courtyard that day a week ago, Riku had seemed to be slipping more and more into Sora's thoughts. The reason he'd gone looking for Roxas earlier that day was to take his mind off of Riku and hopefully take Roxas's mind off the death of his father.

Roxas…

Sora felt the leaden weight of guilt drop into his stomach. He shouldn't have yelled at Roxas like he had; the blonde had only been doing what he thought was right. Riku was, after all, a vampire.

"But I'm a damn sexy vampire," Riku interrupted Sora's thoughts with a roguish grin.

"A damn egotistical vampire," Sora murmured. The brief snatch of humor disappeared quickly, carried away on the winds of unease. Sora idly fingered the amulet beneath his shirt, drifting deep into thought. So deep that Riku didn't bother trying to read his mind, knowing he'd only catch superficial snippets of thought. He let Sora lay there and brood, savoring the feel of Sora's heart beating against his chest.

He never wanted to let him go.

000

Leon stepped precariously across the stone slabs that made up an archway that ran down one side of the courtyard, glancing down at the serfs milling about. He sighed, hopping over a grotesque stone gargoyle. He perched on the head of another, sitting down on top of it. He wondered where Riku had gotten to.

And then, a voice erupted above the din of the serfs, calling, "SILENCE!"

Quiet fell across the crowd. Leon lifted an eyebrow as a blonde head came into view, pushing through the crowd. The blonde continued to speak. "They're gone!" he yelled. Cheers exploded in the courtyard, but the man quickly quieted them again. "We shall escort you back to your land and aid you in repairing the damages until tomorrow evening. Everyone follow the knights out of the castle and back to your farms."

There was continued rejoicing on the departure. The blonde remained where he was as everyone filtered out around him. From Leon's vantage point, the person looked tired. Finally alone in the commodious courtyard the blonde staggered back inside and out of sight.

Leon cocked his head, vanishing from his perch and reappearing on the ground bellow. He headed in the direction the blonde had gone, curiosity getting the better of him. When he stepped through the stone archway, he didn't have to look far to find his object of interest; the blonde was leaning against the wall of the corridor, breathing heavily, his façade of strength and composure shattered. Despite his worn appearance, Leon noted that he was still quite attractive, with his golden-blonde hair seeming to stick up naturally in a most appealing sort of way, his bangs falling to frame his gently curved face. His nose was straight and almost aristocratic in its ideality, eyes that were blue enough to put even the most beautiful sapphires to shame set above proud cheekbones, with perfect, pink lips parted just enough to draw heavy, even breaths.

Leon quietly approached the recuperating man, arms behind his back. He cleared his throat to announce his presence, causing the blonde to glance up sharply, eyes wide. His guard went up immediately. "Who are you?" the blonde demanded, managing to look intimidating in his chain mail and armor despite his obvious fatigue. There was also a certain fire to his eyes that was just, simply put, threatening.

"Easy," Leon coaxed. "I'm no enemy."

"How can I be certain?" the blonde rejoined. Nevertheless, he allowed Leon to near him until the brunet was standing directly before him.

"What's your name?" Leon asked.

"…Cloud." Cloud seemed to drop his guard somewhat, either too tired to hold it anymore or not sensing the other to pose any sort of threat—possibly both. "You?"

"Squall." Leon shifted his weight to one foot and crossed his arm, adopting a casual stance. "So, are you a knight?"

"How could you tell?" Cloud said jokingly, though he sounded a little breathless.

"I take it you just…returned from some sort of victory?"

Cloud nodded. "We had to chase the Vikings off our fief. It's going to be difficult to repair, but fortunately they did little damage."

"Are you the noble's son?" Leon asked.

The blonde returned this query with his own inquisitive look, but nodded nonetheless.

"How old are you?"

"…Erm, nineteen this winter."

Leon started at this. "So young…" he whispered in wonder, more to himself than Cloud. It was only logical though, considering that a human's lifespan was drastically shorter than a vampire's. What seemed young to Leon was actually quite mature in the eyes of a mortal. And as he looked the blonde up and down, again taking in his weary demeanor, he noted the frailty of humans, as well.

Cloud shook his head, seeming to blink something away from his eyes. The brunet wordlessly took into account the sudden film that had seemed to veil Cloud's eyes, making his gaze unsteady and glassy. Without further warning, Cloud collapsed, and Leon leaned forward without thinking, catching the blonde in his arms. His knees buckles under the sudden added weight, and Leon found himself on the floor, an unconscious Cloud in his lap.

Leon was feeling rather panicked, which was decidedly unusual for him. Looking down at Cloud's peaceful countenance, however deathly pale, he murmured, "Why does it feel like…something inside of me is…dying?"

There was no denying that the sensation was there, wriggling uncomfortably in his chest. He was worried, plain and simple. There was something wrong with Cloud, this boy that he'd only just met moments ago. And Leon was…worried.

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**A/N: **Bah, I think this chapter was too short. And, as I said, Sora was a regular drama queen (or was his angst justified?) But, hey, the relationships are evolving! Sort of... eh, again, sorry for the slow update. The next chapter's almost done! Review, and **TBC!**

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	11. Chapter the Eleventh

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

**A/N: **Have I yet mentioned how fucking awesome you guys are? If not, I'm mentioning it now: Y.o.U ... g.U.y.S ... a.R.e ... F.u.C.k.I.n.G ... a.W.e.S.o.M.e! -**glomps you all**- I'm glad you're all enjoying the story. Hope you continue to enjoy it. And if anyone has any suggestions for anything, I'd be happy to take them. Now, on with the story. _  
_

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"RIKU! For the last time, SHUT UP!" Kairi all but screeched as the credits began to role.

Riku huffed. "Sor_ry!_ But, it's just that these are the kinds of movies that give vampires a bad name," he scoffed.

"Then why don't you clear some things up for us?" Naminé suggested.

Riku leaned back against the bottom of the couch. He and Sora were sitting on the floor, Kairi reclining in a nearby beanbag chair, and Naminé sprawled out above Sora and Riku. "Like what?" Riku asked.

"Can vampires die?"

"Well, yes and no."

Kairi lifted a skeptical eyebrow. "What about the crosses and the garlic and the stakes…?"

Riku waved his hand as if to wave away the question. "Pure myth, for the most part. Crosses and garlic have no effect on vampires. Stakes, those are a different story. If you stab a vampire through the heart with a stake, it'll do damage. If it's a regular stake, it will cause this…disease, of sorts, called _Regression_. Basically, what happens is the vampire will regress back to his carnal roots and lose all sense of self and virtue. He will start…feeding on humans, and he'll be overly sensitive to the light, and all that. You see, vampires, just like humans, have evolved over time."

This was news. "Evolved?" Sora echoed, intrigued by this discovery.

"Yes." Riku nodded. "You see, the vampires that are portrayed through Hollywood, the monsters that you know vampires to be, are what vampires really used to be like when they first came into existence… Well, sort of. If you take away all of the cinematic tweaking, you basically have a primeval vampire. Monsters. Like I said, they fed on humans, were very sensitive to sunlight and so only came out at night, had no sense of virtue or moral, and acted purely on instinct. Over time, vampires evolved into what we are today."

"So, you don't feed on humans?" Kairi asked.

Riku shook his head. "As I explained to Sora," he passed the brunet a sidelong glance, "it's against our ethics to bite humans. We feed mostly on livestock, which are unaffected by our bite."

"So, what happens to a vampire who's…taken with Regression?" Naminé wondered.

"Usually, they're executed, in order to protect the humans and other vampires. A vampire taken with Regression can be very dangerous to not only mortals, but his kin, as well. But," Riku continued, "there are certain means of killing a vampire immediately through impaling their heart with a stake. You see, there's a particular clan of humans called Vampire Hunters. They have consecrated tools that they use to hunt vampires. If a Hunter uses his stake on a vampire, it will kill the vampire instantly."

Sora frowned. There was something wrong, the feeling of treading on thin ice. The look in Riku's eyes as he spoke about the Hunters… Though his voice gave nothing away, Sora could tell that inside he was struggling with something. Something bad. The slightest skewed movement and the ice would crack.

Trying to disperse the tension, Sora wrapped his arms around Riku's neck and nuzzled the crook of his shoulder affectionately. He immediately felt every muscle in Riku's body unwind, the moment of unease passing, much to the brunet's relief.

Kairi checked the time, which read: 12:43 a.m. As if on cue, Naminé yawned loudly. "I think it's time to sleep," the blonde murmured, and Kairi nodded in agreement.

Forcing herself keep her tone even, Kairi asked, "Is Riku staying?"

Riku glanced at Sora. "If Sora wants me to—"

"Yes!" Sora jumped at the opportunity.

Kairi sighed. "Okay, but you two have to…behave."

Riku gave Kairi a two-fingered salute. "Yes ma'm," he deadpanned with false sincerity. Sora chuckled at that. The group stood from their positions, and Sora shut off the TV. Together, they moved towards Sora's room, where Naminé and Kairi's sleeping bags were already laid out beside Sora's bed.

Riku surveyed the room. "So…where am I sleeping?"

Sora averted his gaze, blushing. "Um…well…my bed _is _big enough for two…"

Kairi snorted. "Like that'll keep Riku from crawling all over you. Might as well have a single bed."

Sora's blush deepened. Riku grinned and reached out, caressing Sora's cheek. "Don't worry; I won't bite."

"I don't think that's what he's worried about," Kairi mumbled.

Riku sighed, glowering at the redhead. "What is it exactly that you have against me?" he demanded.

Kairi ignored him, grabbing her pajamas that were folded up on top of her sleeping bag. Naminé did the same, and they left the room to change. Sora closed the door behind him and retrieved his own pajamas. Turning to Riku, his blush returned twofold. "Um… Could you step out…for a minute?" he asked meekly.

Riku smirked, moving to stand behind Sora. "I have a better idea." He gripped Sora's wrists and leaned away, sinking down onto the edge of the bed and pulling the brunet with him.

"R-Riku!" Sora squeaked.

"Shhhh…" the other crooned, laying back, forcing Sora flush against him. "Just relax."

Sora swallowed audibly, but nodded nonetheless. With Riku's hand on the back of his head, guiding him, their lips met. The kiss began slowly, almost shyly (on Sora's part, at least), and quickly gained speed, like a log being consumed by fire. The flames began to devour the wood until they were all-consuming, omnipotent, so engrossing that they melted the surroundings and plunged everything into a nothingness of bliss. Riku parted his lips invitingly, coaxing Sora into taking the initiative, and slowly, hesitantly, Sora slipped his tongue into Riku's mouth. Riku whined in rapture, Sora's timidity so endearing that it made the vampire's stomach loop-de-loop like a roller coaster. It was nostalgic, this ecstasy that only Sora could bring him, and for a moment Riku felt like he was in the castle, fifteen hundred years ago, on Sora's feather mattress in his cold, stone room, with the fire of sunset spilling across the windowsill.

And, just like he used to do fifteen hundred years ago, Sora pulled away first, drinking in much-needed air. Riku smiled softly, licking his lips and running his fingers through Sora's hair. Sora rested his head on Riku's chest, which rose and fell with the silver-haired boy's soft breathing. The brunet ran his fingers beneath Riku's shirt, feeling the tattoo below his navel. _Lust._ Riku shivered.

"St-Stop that…" he more pleaded than demanded.

Sora didn't listen. His hand reached for Riku's right wrist, pulling it towards him and studying the marking. _Gluttony. _"Show me another one," Sora whispered.

"You can find it," Riku teasingly replied. "Just…look around."

Instead of the search Riku had anticipated, Sora's fingers brushed up the back of Riku's neck and quickly located another tattoo. He brushed the sheer, silver locks away and uncovered the marking. "_Invidia_…" he breathed, the Latin rolling gracefully off of his tongue.

Riku started, sitting up ever so slightly. "What?"

"Hm?"

"What did you say?" Riku asked earnestly.

Sora frowned. "I…didn't say anything. What does this one mean?" he wondered, brushing his fingers over the tattoo.

Riku shook his head. Had he just imagined that? It was rather unlikely, after all, that Sora would not only know the meaning of the tattoo without Riku telling him, but would also be able to say its name in Latin. "Uh… It means 'Envy'."

Sora nodded. "Oh." He smirked then, or produced something that was as close to a smirk as Sora could get. Which frightened Riku, because he knew this almost-smirk of Sora's that was always the preface of something impish. Sora leaned over Riku and whispered, "Is this just as sensitive as the others?" Without waiting for an answer, he pressed a kiss to the marking.

Riku whimpered. "Sora…" he warned lightly.

Sora ignored him and grazed the branded skin with his teeth, followed shortly after by his tongue. A heady moan tumbled from Riku's lips, and he hastily, albeit grudgingly, shoved Sora away. "Don't," he said, his breath coming in shorter gasps. "If you keep that up, not even the hounds of Hell could keep me from having my way with you."

Sora just grinned. "How do you know that that's not my aim?"

Riku opened his mouth to respond, but found himself speechless. It didn't matter anyway, because just then there was a knock at the door. "Sora? Riku?" It was Naminé.

"You'd better not be doing anything to Sora!" came Kairi's voice.

"I'm not doing anything that he doesn't want me to do!" Riku replied, the smirk in his voice obvious.

The door swung open then and Kairi stormed in. She was very much relieved to find that both still had all of their clothes on, but also disconcerted to find that Sora hadn't changed into his pajamas. Which meant that the time they'd been alone had been spent on something…else. She sighed. "Sora, go change!"

Sora nodded and gathered his clothes, rushing out of the room.

Huffing exasperatedly, Kairi muttered, "I'm not going to make it through the evening."

"Not with all of the noise Sora'll be making," Riku said.

Kairi glared at the vampire and threw a pillow at his head, which Riku smoothly caught. "Try _anything _and Vampire Hunters will be the _least _of your worries!"

000

"Hn…Leon…" Cloud fisted the other's brown hair as Leon ravished his neck…with his lips and tongue, of course, no teeth involved. Cloud stumbled backwards, finding his feet leading him down the hallway. Leon moved back up to kiss the blonde's succulent lips, slipping his tongue into Cloud's mouth. Cloud whimpered appreciatively, wrapping his arms around Leon's neck. His mind was in a fog, his heart pounding, pumping his boiling blood through his veins and making him dizzy. He wasn't aware of much else except the feeling of Leon's lips branding him with searing kisses.

Somehow, they wound up in Cloud's bedroom. Cloud fell back on the bed, Leon landing gracefully on top of him. Leon placed a kiss on his forehead, moving down his nose back to his lips. He whispered, "You're so beautiful."

Cloud blushed at that. He'd been with women before, he'd had girlfriends, and sure, they'd complimented him frequently, using a number of endearing adjectives to describe him, but "beautiful" had never been one of them, and they'd never been spoken with as much emotion as Leon had spoken with, almost as if his very heart had been unraveled and the threads of it woven into his voice. He'd never been with another man, he'd never imagined himself being with another man, and he'd never anticipated being with another man feeling this right.

So, maybe Leon wasn't just "another man". He was a vampire, and his lover from a past life to boot. If this love was strong enough to survive across the span of fifteen hundred years, then maybe gender didn't matter.

"Gender never matters," Leon growled, parting for a moment.

Cloud jumped, forgetting for a fleeting moment that Leon could read minds. "I-I'm sorry… It's just…"

"It's just the ignorant mindset of man."

Cloud flinched at Leon's acerbic tone. "I'm sorry…"

"Stop apologizing, dammit." Leon recaptured the blonde's lips in another fierce kiss. Cloud melted into it, reaching up to push Leon's jacket off of his shoulders. Leon obligingly slipped his arms out of the garment, throwing it off to the side, revealing his tight, black shirt that left little to the imagination. Not that Cloud would have to be imagining for much longer. And away went the shirt.

Cloud had never once considered the sight of a half-naked male arousing. And yet here he was, desperately reining in his desire in order to keep from salivating over Leon. Said brunet was presently straddling Cloud's waist, staring down at him with argentate eyes darkened to a iron-like gray. Cloud was feeling hot and bothered and too horny for his own good. But Leon was sitting still, just staring at him. "Y-You're…not stopping now…are you?" Cloud asked.

"Are you sure you want this?"

Cloud thought for a fleeting moment before he nodded.

Leon leaned down and kissed the blonde softly, slowly, sensuously lapping at Cloud's lips with his tongue, holding each side of his face. Cloud whimpered at the sheer emotion that bled, unhindered by wanton lust, through the kiss, making his muscles fall lax against the mattress, suddenly weak. But it was a wonderful sort of weak, a sort of weak that felt so good that it almost filled Cloud with an ethereal sort of strength. Beneath all of that pleasant sensation, however, he felt a stab of something cold: guilt.

Leon pulled back, his eyes meeting Cloud's squarely. Then, he whispered, "Do you love me?"

Cloud bit his lip. The icy stab of guilt began to frost the rest of his body. "…"

"Cloud, answer me."

"No, I…I'm not in love with you."

Leon smiled wistfully, nodding. "I knew this was all moving too fast."

"But…Leon…" Cloud was uncomfortable, still hot and aroused and _desperate _for relief. And though he wasn't in _love _with Leon, he was definitely in _lust _with him.

Leon sat up, rolling off of the blonde and standing. "I won't do this, not if it won't mean anything to you."

Cloud propped himself up on his elbow, facing Leon as the brunet stooped to pick up his shirt and jacket. He opened his mouth to speak, but found he had nothing to say.

"I won't…make the same mistake twice," Leon murmured.

"…Leon…"

"If we did this, Cloud," Leon turned to face the blonde, "you'd sorely regret it in the morning."

And with that, Leon disappeared.

000

"Sora…" Riku whispered. Kairi and Naminé had fallen asleep a little while ago, and Sora was beginning to doze off. Riku and Sora were laying on their sides, facing each other, and though Sora's eyes were closed, Riku was enjoying simply watching his beloved.

"Hmmm?" Sora yawned, opening his eyes blearily.

Riku smiled tenderly, stroking the brunet's moonlight-kissed cheek. The room was dusted with the blue of the night, shadows stretching in the wake of the light filtering through the bedroom window. And Sora looked breathtakingly ethereal, like an Elven prince. And Riku would know, too; he'd met an Elven prince once. And that prince's beauty paled in comparison to Sora's, which was saying something, because elves were known for their otherworldly beauty. But no, Sora was the most beautiful creature in Riku's eyes.

"Riku?"

Oh, right, he was staring. Riku shook his head. He leaned over and pressed his lips to Sora's, pulling back not but a moment later. Sora smiled sleepily. He rolled onto his back and draped his forearm over his eyes, murmuring, "_Let us stay here in this secluded place/ Made beautiful by love's endearing grace/ Love is enough._"

"Hm? That's not your poetry, is it?"

Sora shook his head. "Nah. I'm not _that _good."

"I want to hear it sometime." Riku snuggled closer to the brunet, whispering in his ear, "I used to love to sit and listen to you read your poetry. You wrote a few poems for me."

Sora let his arm fall to the side of him. Though it was difficult to tell, Riku could see that he was blushing. "Really…"

"You wrote one for me, didn't you." It wasn't a question.

Sora nodded numbly. "Um…yeah…but I didn't write it down. It's in my head."

"Can I hear it?"

"Ah…well…it's not very good…and, well…I don't think it's quite finished yet—"

Riku placed a finger on Sora's lips. "It doesn't matter. I want to hear it."

Sora fingered the hem of the sheet, still blushing cutely. "Well, it's not really _for _you as much as it is _about _you. I thought of it last week, after I met you again at the pumpkin patch." He took a deep breath, readying himself, before he began to speak, his soft voice filling the empty air around them.

"_There was a day  
When I looked out over the ocean  
And saw it staring back at me,  
With a fire I'd never known  
Angels were able to possess.  
Idealistic, perfect, beautiful  
Beyond compare.  
But not an angel.  
Can a demon grow wings?  
And wear a halo to match?  
Can a demon adorn  
A white robe, and glow  
With the light of the stars?  
Can a demon be an angel?_"

Riku toyed with a spike of Sora's cinnamon hair, entranced by his recitation. He was silent for a moment after Sora finished, his words still dancing around his ears. There was a bare trace of a smile on his lips, and he whispered, "Do you want the answer to that question?"

Sora rolled onto his side and met Riku's enticing gaze with his own. "No. Not yet."

Riku nodded, closing the small distance between their faces and pressing his lips to Sora's, musing, _I don't think I have the answer, anyway._

"Hey, Riku," Sora said after they separated.

"Yeah?"

"Does this make us…boyfriends?"

Riku blinked. "I…suppose. We never used that term…way back when. We were just 'lovers'."

"So, are we boyfriends?"

"…Yes."

Sora smiled, snuggling into Riku's arms. "I've never had a boyfriend before."

Riku chuckled. "Did you ever plan on having one?"

"Not really, no. But I think I like it. Do you think we could…go on an actual date, sometime?"

The vampire stroked Sora's chestnut locks, kissing his forehead. "Sure. How about Friday?"

"All right. Will I see you before then?"

"You can count on it."

"Good. I like seeing you." Sora yawned, nestling his head into the crook of Riku's neck.

"I think you should go to sleep."

"I…think so…too…" Slowly, Sora began to doze off. Riku felt the brunet's body unwind, his muscles relaxing as sleep overtook him. Silence settled into the room.

And then, Riku felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He detangled himself from Sora, sitting up and glancing around. He spotted a pair of scarlet eyes highlighted by the moonlight, watching him from a shadowed corner. He scowled. "What are you doing here, Valentine?"

Vincent stepped out of the darkness, the faint glow from the window accenting his darkly beautiful features, glancing off his raven hair. "I've brought someone to see you."

From the shadows from whence Vincent had just departed stepped another, one whom had been hidden more thoroughly. This presence disturbed Riku further. "What do you want, Lulu?"

"I wanted to check up on you," she answered coyly.

Riku rubbed his eyes, then glanced at the digital clock on Sora's nightstand. "Are you kidding me? Now? It's one in the morning. And how did you know I was here, dammit!"

"You let your guard down," Vincent answered. "I sensed you easily."

Riku bristled, noticing for the first time that his barriers were absent, the mental barriers he used to mask his distinguishing aura from others. He hastily built them back up, then made sure to glare holes into the heads of his intruders. It was too bad he couldn't literally glare holes into their heads; he would've gladly done so. "So, what do you want?"

"You're not forgetting your goal, are you?" Lulu wondered, brushing a lock of raven hair over her shoulder.

Riku's eyes flashed dangerously. "No, I'm not. Don't worry about it. Just get the hell out of here."

Lulu raised her hand in defense. "Fine, fine. Just…don't lose sight of your purpose, Riku." Vincent grabbed the woman's hand. Before they departed, she said, "Remember, it's only a spell."

As they faded into the surrounding shadows, Riku choked back a sudden sob threatening to escape his throat. Those few words had cut deeper than he'd thought possible.

Or, perhaps it wasn't the words themselves, but…the truth behind them.

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**A/N: **That one line of poetry was from the poem _Love is Enough _by Ella Wheeler Wilcox. The other poem, Sora's poem, was my own crappy original poetry. Ehehe, so yeah, I figured just writing some original poetry for "Sora's" poetry would make his amateur-ish-ness seem more realistic. Anyway, review, please!

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	12. Chapter the Twelfth

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

**A/N: **Whoo, sorry it's taken so long to update! Well, of course, thanks so much for all of your wonderful reviews! They are the fuel that keeps my creativity burning. :D

On a few notes:

Sorry, but I don't think Axel's gonna be in this, for those that wanted to see him. As much as I love him, he shares not part in this plot. At least, I don't think he will.

Thank you for supporting my crappy poetry. It made me happy to hear that you like it, and yes, there shall most likely be more to come.

And for everyone who thinks Kairi and medieval-Roxas really need to get over their "death to all vampires" mentality, I agree, but it's not likely to happen. Can anyone guess why? Their hatred for vampires isn't totally unjustified. Hmhm, who shall unravel the mystery first? Plushies to anyone who can figure it out!

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**.506 AD.**

Leon stood, Cloud in his arms, and cast his senses out, searching for the room that most strongly held Cloud's aura. Finding it, he vanished and rematerialized in the located chamber. He found a four-poster bed in the middle of the room with the head against the wall. In a corner was a desk, a dressing table in another. There was a shelf against the wall beside the bed laden with texts and volumes of this book and that. Beside the dressing table was a small basket that held a few staffs and a sword or two, a pair of mud-caked boots sitting idly beside it. Beneath the bed was a bearskin rug, and there was a metal washbasin filled with water at the foot. It was all surrounded by gray stone walls and a high ceiling, a window set into one wall perpendicular to the bed, a wooden door in the wall opposite it.

Leon took the blonde to the bed and set him down gently, laying him over the sheets. He looked the knight up and down, deciding then that he couldn't be too comfortable in the chain mail and armor. And so he set to the task of stripping Cloud of his burdensome attire.

The armor clanked to the stone floor as Leon set it down. Soon the blonde was left in his chain mail, which Leon carefully pulled over Cloud's head. Beneath that was his tunic and homely cotton pants, which were stained with sweat and dirt. Leon resolved to leave those on, believing that if Cloud awoke to find himself nearly naked in front of a complete stranger, he might not be too pleased. So he just removed Cloud's boots and dropped them beside the armor. Then he tucked a blanket folded over the end of the bed around the frail figure.

_God, I feel like his mother… _Leon thought. He sat on the edge of the feather mattress and studied the blonde. _Though, not quite… A mother wouldn't be appreciating his beauty like this…or the way that his lips look very inviting right now… _Leon shook his head. _What's wrong with me? I just met the boy! Why am I acting like a lovesick puppy? More like a bitch in heat… _It then occurred to him that he'd compared himself to a female twice in the past two minutes and promptly derailed his train of thought.

A glint of silver caught his eye. He looked down and saw a chain around Cloud's neck, the rest of which was hidden beneath his tunic. Leon carefully reached down and tugged the chain out from beneath the blonde's collar, producing two charms. There were, in fact, two chains as well, the other he hadn't noticed at first. On one chain hung a cross, typical to most people of the time. On the other chain was a pendent. It was a coin-like silver amulet with the impression of a crown set into the silver metal. Leon turned the amulet in his hand, and on the back found an inscription. It read:

_timendi causa est nescire_

"Ignorance is the cause of fear." The aura of the amulet left Leon uneasy. He could feel a certain energy pulsing through the pendent, and immediately let it fall to Cloud's chest.

He stood and went to the window, gazing out over the scene. The land was blanketed in green, rolling up and down like ocean waves with the hills and valleys. There was a stream that wound into a forest that was growing along a hillside, and the sun was beginning to dip behind the horizon, casting angry streaks of red and orange and yellow through the sky. He sighed, breathing in the wind that carried the scent of blood and smoke, mingled with the freshness of the autumn foliage. Such was the world at that time.

There was a whimper from behind him, and he turned to see Cloud rolling over the side of the bed. His stomach heaved, and Leon turned away from the sight, the sound alone enough to make him nauseas. A moment later, he looked back and went to the blonde's aid. There was a cloth folded over the rim of the metal washbasin at the foot of the bed. Leon took the cloth and soaked it in water, then brought it to Cloud, making sure to go around the unsoiled side. Cloud was laying back against his pillows, looking downright miserable. Leon handed him the cloth, which the blonde used to clean himself up.

"So, what's wrong with you?" Leon asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"N-Nothing…" Cloud stuttered. Whether his stuttering was from his illness or from something else, Leon couldn't tell. He suspected it was the latter.

"You're lying," he stated smoothly.

Cloud sighed, seemingly too sick to argue. "Okay. …I don't know what it is that I have. I went to the family doctor, and he says that it's not contagious. So as long as I can hide it, it shouldn't be a bother to anyone else."

"Does anyone else know?" Leon wondered.

Cloud averted his gaze.

"I guess not," the brunet deduced.

"No one aside from the doctor knows. It's just that…they can't know. If they know, then I'll be bedridden for sure." Cloud looked panicked at the thought. "That's what Father did to our uncle. When he learned that his brother was sick, Father wouldn't let him out of bed. But our uncle…he was a knight, and a damned good one at that. Personally, I think him staying in bed only made him worse. A knight… A knight has to fight. If I can't fight anymore, I don't know what I'd do."

Leon glanced out the window again. "Wouldn't you rather be relieved from your duty as a knight? That's a dangerous position."

"Any position is dangerous nowadays; nothing is safe. When you live in a world where you _know _that things are wrong, you have to try to fix them, right?" Cloud gazed unseeingly up at his ceiling. "That's why I have to fight. I can't just sit by and let this world fall to ruin. I have to _do _something! And I can't do that if I can't get out of bed. I'd rather die on the battlefield than let myself rot away."

"But what about your comrades?" Leon murmured.

Cloud looked up, a bewildered frown creasing his brow. "What?"

"What if you were to fall on the battlefield, like you did in the corridor? What if your comrades were to die because you collapsed in the middle of a fight? Wouldn't it be better to let them know outside of battle that you were sick and unreliable than have them depend so strongly on you and end up letting them down?"

Cloud blinked. "I… I hadn't…thought of that."

"That's why it would catch you by surprise. If you ask me, you're being selfish."

The blonde's eyes flashed, like lightening through a stormy sky. "What do you know!"

Leon shrugged. "I'm just lending my advice. It's no matter to me whether or not you choose to heed it."

"Who _are_ you, anyway?"

"I told you, my name is Squall."

"Your name says little about you, unless you're going to tell me that you're a _violent windstorm_."

"I'm…just a drifter. No one of particular importance."

"Then what are you doing here? And how did you get into the castle? How did you get into my room?" All of the questions that Cloud realized he should have asked right of the bat came spiraling to mind.

"I'm here looking for my friend. I got into the castle through means that you wouldn't believe. And I got into your room by those same means. You should be grateful, though! I brought you up here after you'd collapsed in the corridor."

Cloud blushed. "I… I'm sorry. I know, I should be grateful. So…thank you."

Leon sighed. "You're welcome."

A wordless silence stretched through the room. Then, Cloud sighed and threw the blanket off of him, swinging his legs over the side of the bed opposite Leon, making sure to avoid the mess on the floor. He stood and shook his head, blonde spikes shifting. "I'd better go see my father. He'll be wondering where I am. No doubt he's preparing for the celebration feast."

"Celebration feast?"

"Yes, for our victory. There'll be a feast and dance…and lots of drink. Come, if you so please."

Leon smirked. "Maybe I will." Then, he vanished.

Cloud turned to face the brunet, only to find him gone. He blinked. "Squall?" No answer. "How…odd…" Cloud shrugged, suddenly feeling the onset of a headache. There was no way he so delirious to have imagined Squall's presence the entire time, but there was also no way the brunet could have disappeared so suddenly. With a heavy sigh, he went to his dressing table and opened a drawer, pulling out a fresh outfit.

He supposed he'd just have to wait and see if the brunet showed up for the feast.

000

Riku leaned his head back against the wall, idly stroking Sora's hair as the brunet slept, curled against the vampire. The calm of night was flitting playfully through Sora's window, caressing the two as they sat in silence, one asleep and one contemplating.

_What's going on with me? _Riku wondered. _I mean, I've never felt like this towards anyone before. I feel like…like… What _do _I feel? Hell, I don't even know. _He glanced down at the sleeping boy in his arms, and couldn't help the gentle smile that graced his features. _I feel like…I want to protect him…like I never want to see him cry…_

_Is this love?_

_If it is, then what kind? It's not the love I feel for my clan, or for my friends. It's different. It's…not entirely __platonic__…__but it's not lust alone. I want his body…and I want his…_

…_heart?_

Riku's eyes widened at his own thoughts. _I…do…? _It was a question. And then, _I…do… I do. _It was a statement, stained with a determined conviction.

"I do," he whispered to himself. "I want his heart. I want his…love."

"And so you've fallen."

Riku's gaze snapped up, his expression one of alarm. He found himself staring into eyes that disturbingly mirrored his own, however frosted with a certain bitterness to chill the aqua with a glassy clarity. It gave his brother the unnerving illusion of staring straight through you. Or perhaps it wasn't an illusion.

Sephiroth stood from the chair he'd materialized on, blue robes sweeping about his ankles, that infuriating smirk ever-present. "You know that when a vampire falls in love, they fall hard and fast and can't ever get back up again." Adopting a falsely nonchalant expression, he shrugged, pretending the issue was no big deal. He succeeded in thoroughly irritating his younger brother. "An angel falls from Grace, and a vampire falls in love. Both end in tragedy."

"Shut up, Sephiroth," Riku growled, unconsciously tightening his hold on Sora.

"Are you prepared to give your life for this love?"

"Shut up!"

"Are you prepared to give _his _life for this love?"

Riku's heart throbbed painfully. "Stop it!"

"Are you?"

Riku clenched his eyes shut and buried his nose in Sora's crown, as if ignoring Sephiroth's presence would make him go away. But his brother only crossed the room and came up beside the bed. Riku glanced up, scowling at the other. Sephiroth reached down and stroked Sora's cheek.

"Such a pretty boy."

"Don't touch him!" Riku snapped, fangs bared.

Sephiroth smirked, undeterred. "So possessive." He withdrew his hand, tucking it behind his back with the other. "What will you do if he doesn't love you back?"

Riku averted his eyes. "That's irrelevant."

"All right, then. What are you going to do about his being human?"

"That's also irrelevant."

"Is it?"

"Yes." Riku determinedly met Sephiroth's gaze.

Silence stretched between the siblings.

Then, there came a loud knock on the door. Sephiroth promptly vanished without another word.

"Sora!" came a man's voice from the other side of the door. Riku assumed it was his father.

Riku lifted Sora into his arms and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, rising to his feet before laying the boy back down. He leaned down and, brushing his chestnut bangs aside, placed a chaste kiss on Sora's forehead. Just as Sora's door opened, Riku dissolved into thin air, disappearing without a trace.

000

Sora sighed, glancing at the looking glass above his dresser. He tugged uncomfortably at the collar of his red, cotton tunic. His pants were brown and tucked into his shin-high, black boots. Quickly bending down, he rubbed an imaginary speck of dust from his ankle, and when he stood erect again, he was watching his reflection with something akin to tedium. He would really rather not be attending this feast tonight; he wasn't in the mood. Though, he did want to celebrate the victory led by his brother, so perhaps it wouldn't be too exasperating.

He ran his fingers once more through his hair and turned to leave, but something caught his eye. He returned his attention to his looking glass-doppelganger and frowned, hastily reaching to the chains around his neck. His amulet was hanging over his shirt. Not good. He tucked it beneath his collar, making sure it was efficiently hidden, and that the only thing visible was his cross. Smiling satisfactorily, he nodded resolutely and then finally departed for the Hall.

The Hall was decorated with red and violet tapestries, hundreds of candles burning in the chandelier that hung overlooking it all. It cast haunting shadows here and there, and the moon kissed the windowpanes and gilded anything not touched by candlelight with a silver sheen. There was a long table running up the side of the Hall laden with food. Pigeon, fish, and cow, each generous in amount, and fruits of all sorts, or at least, the fruits that could be found with the coming of the winter season. In particular, the roasted apples and pears looked the most appealing. There was a large, silver bowl filled to the brim with wine, and goblets were scattered around the table. Sora's stomach then growled impatiently, and he realized for the first time that evening how hungry he was.

The guests were busy mingling on the dance floor. From the fizzling energy in the air, Sora got the idea that they'd just finished a dance. The musicians were aglow with a light that only came after a successful performance, so he decided that his assumption was correct. He knew that there would be much more dancing to come all through the night.

"Ah, Sora!"

The brunet glanced around at the sound of his name and saw his father waving him over. He waded through the crowd and stood beside the lord of the castle, who was dressed in all his noble glory, sparing no modesty. Sora's mother was beside him, looking elegant in her green dress with her blonde locks plaited down her back. And, much to Sora's delight, Cloud was there, too, adorned in a blue tunic that accentuated his already incredibly blue eyes. He smiled at Sora and reached down to ruffle his brother's hair affectionately. Sora was really the only living being Cloud ever spared much affection for.

"Sora," his father said, beaming at his youngest son. "I would like to introduce you to Lady Kairi."

Sora looked to whom his father was speaking about and saw a girl about his age, red hair spilling prettily over her petite shoulders. She offered a small smile and curtsied cutely, holding the skirt of her velvet, lavender dress. Sora grinned and bowed politely. "Nice to meet you," he said.

"Likewise," she replied, drawing herself back up to her full height, which was a good six inches shorter than Sora.

"And this is Lady Aerith."

Sora turned his attention to the woman beside Kairi. She was wearing a more homely, pink dress, though it was nonetheless flattering on her gently curved, lithe body. Her chestnut hair was plaited down her back, tied with a red bow, her bangs falling to the sides of her kind face, and her eyes were the most beautiful emerald color that Sora had ever seen, so far as eyes went. She curtsied gracefully, and Sora bowed dutifully, smiling. "It's a pleasure," he said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, too," she returned, her voice soft, matching her demeanor.

And then, the music started up again with a rousing drumbeat. The people socializing on the dance floor cleared and then returned in pairs. Sora's mind immediately flew to a certain silver-haired vampire, but he banished any thought of him and turned to Kairi. "Would you care to dance, m'lady?"

She blushed and nodded, taking his hand. They stepped out onto the floor where the guests had already started dancing. Sora and Kairi joined in and began the age-old steps.

Cloud watched his younger brother for a moment before facing Aerith. "Looks like fun," he said with a small, almost imperceptible smile.

She nodded, giggling. "It does."

Cloud held out his hand. "I don't want to be left out of the fun. Do you?"

Aerith accepted his offer. "Not at all."

The string quartet playing along with the percussion started up their lilting tune. The song began quietly, delicately, enticingly. The noblemen and ladies danced modestly at first, matching the gentle sound of the music, everyone in sync with each other, not only the individual pairs, but the group as a whole, as was the way of things. When you danced, it wasn't just with your partner, and it wasn't for yourself, so much as in praise of God. Everything was in praise of God. In this case, you danced in celebration of God's blessing of victory.

Soon the song picked up in tempo, though not too quickly, still delicate and flowing. Sora held Kairi's hand in his own, his other on her hip. Step, step, step, turn, step, and so on it went. And while Sora was looking at Kairi's face, her blue-violet eyes, her gentle pink lips, her pretty red hair, he saw none of it. He was looking, yes, but in his mind he _saw_ someone entirely different. Different skin color (like porcelain), different eyes (the most amazing blue-green, like the aquamarine gems in his mother's necklace—only more beautiful), different hair (silver, like the moonlight), different lips (pale and soft and sinfully sensuous), a different face entirely. A different person entirely.

Gradually, the music attempted a dramatic crescendo. Sora placed both hands on Kairi's hips and lifted her into the air, twirling around before setting her back down and continuing the dance. She laughed blithely, and he smiled at her delight. But, his heart felt strangely hollow.

Slowly, the song drew to a close, and the dancers settled down, their bodies stilling as the final chord carried through the air. Sora bowed to Kairi, still smiling warmly. "Thank you, m'lady," he said.

She curtsied. "No, thank _you_. It was a pleasure dancing with you, m'lord."

The musicians prepared for another song. Sora asked, "Are you up for another dance?"

Kairi shook her head. "I think I'll take a little break," she politely declined.

The brunet nodded. "Very well, then."

Kairi made her way to the food table, probably going to fetch a drink. Sora glanced around the Hall, wondering whether he should take a break or ask another lady to dance. There was a blonde girl standing in the corner who very much resembled Kairi, and as Sora went to make his way towards her, he was stayed by a hand on his arm. He turned, and his heart jumped.

"R-Riku!"

The vampire smirked. "The one and only."

Sora's eyes swept over Riku, from head to toe. From the angle at which Riku was standing, that cocky stance of his, arms crossed and weight put on one leg, Sora could see the black ribbon that loosely tied his silver hair back, the bow resting just below his shoulders. Stray tresses hung around Riku's face, which looked just as beautiful as always, caressed by the mixture of candle- and moonlight, making his seductive appeal all the more dangerous. He was clad in his usual black tunic, with a cord that brought the soft fabric in around his thin waist, and his black pants, as well as his matching black boots. Though, over it all he wore a coat that swept elegantly down to his calves, a single silver button fastening the deep-green garment at the waist. It fit snugly, hugging every curve perfectly.

Riku extended his hand, his grin caught somewhere between a smirk and a genuine smile that was just oh so endearing. "Care to dance?"

Sora started, his body freezing for a second before he was able to process the question and nodded numbly. "U-Um…sure…" He took Riku's hand and the two went out onto the dance floor. Riku placed one hand on Sora's hip and held the other, and Sora made a sudden realization. "Riku… I-I don't know the girl's part!"

Riku chuckled. "Surely you've danced with enough girls that you can figure it out."

Sora swallowed nervously and nodded. He was just becoming aware of the various pairs of eyes trained on them and the whispers that were floating above all the other din when the music started up and Sora forgot about it all.

The song was fast, the tempo quick and lively. The couples on the dance floor began the practiced steps. The melody started out dramatic, then changed its tune and held a sort of lighthearted air, all the while soft. Riku and Sora stepped in sync, Sora trying to be smooth and graceful as he usually was. Of course, as he'd said, he'd never had to take the girl's role in a dance, and therefore wasn't used to this position, but he worked around it. Because Riku was dancing with him. As long as Riku was with him, he was okay.

He couldn't help but feel that Riku's hand in his and on his hip was just…right, as if they were meant to be there. And when he held Sora firmly around the waist and twirled him through the air, he felt as if he were floating. Did the girls feel like this whenever he would lift them? He couldn't imagine so, because they'd never danced with Riku. And with Riku, every sensation was somehow amplified, making everything all the more glorious and magical.

Their surroundings seemed to melt, the music and Riku's presence filling Sora's senses. This time, as he looked at his partner, he _saw _him. And his heart fluttered, his stomach turning excitedly. He could feel a healthy flush fill his cheeks, but he didn't mind. The music abruptly flared, _subito forte_—suddenly strong and loud, and then quickly dropped back down to _piano_—soft. The song rose in a climactic crescendo. The melody was back to being dramatic and powerful, giving Sora the insatiable urge to dance for all he was worth, as such music was wont to do. The dancing became more emphatic and lively as the song rose to its climax. Riku was smiling, and Sora had been smiling since the beginning, and as Riku lifted Sora to twirl him again, Riku couldn't help but laugh gaily. His feet landing firmly back on the ground, they finished the dance with another sequence of dizzying steps and then the song came to an abrupt end, the dance following suit.

Riku leaned down, breathing rather heavily, a smile still spread across his face. He leaned down and gave Sora a soft kiss, and Sora returned it just a bit by pressing up. They parted not a second later and turned to return to the crowd of mingling lords and ladies. But then, they realized that the attention in the room was focused on them and that everyone was whispering between each other, the merry din of the Hall having long since died out. The two couldn't help but feel that they'd missed something significant.

They didn't have to wait much longer to find out what it was as the lord of the castle boomed, "SORA!"

000

* * *

000

**A/N: **Mwahahah, evil cliffhanger! What's going to happen to everyone's favorite adorable bishie? Keep reading and find out! But, first you must review! Review I say!

000


	13. Chapter the Thirteenth

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

**A/N: **

-**bows-** I'm soooooooooooooooooooo sorry it's taken me so long to update! I really need to put a leash on my Muse so that she stops running away from me. Ehehehe... well, to make up for it, I have TWO updates. :D

First:

**shirouzumaki: **No, I don't take Latin. I might, sometime during my high school career, but poor little freshman me is just taking Spanish. Google is my friend, and my Latin dictionary. XD

**Li the Twilight Knight: **You get plushies of Riku and Cloud for figuring out the Kairi thing! Yes, you were right. :D

**Veritas4Eternity: **Your guesses were wrong, but they were still good guesses! I think this means that I'm accomplishing the whole mystery thing I intended on writing, ne?

Okay, enjoy!

000

* * *

000

"Sora! We're home!"

The four in the kitchen heard the front door shut, the sound preceded by the animated entrance of Sora's parents. The brunet blushed heatedly at seeing his mother and father still clad in their Tarzan and Jane Halloween costumes, looking rather flushed and unkempt from partying all night. Riku lifted an inquisitive eyebrow, and Sora smiled apologetically.

"Hey Mom, Dad," Sora greeted, taking another bite of his toast. Swallowing, he asked, "Have fun?"

"TONS!" His mother spread her arms and spun in a lazy circle. Sora suspected that she was just a bit intoxicated, if the healthy flush painted across her cheeks and her (more than normal) eccentric behavior were any indications. His father, however, seemed completely sober. Which wasn't surprising; his father didn't succumb to alcohol easily.

"How was your night?" his father asked, smiling.

Sora returned the smile. "Great!"

Sora's mother suddenly turned her flickering attention on Riku. "And who do we have here?"

"Um…this is Riku. Riku…uh…" _Think of a last name! Think of a last name! _Sora thought desperately. Then, he blurted, "Van Helsing!"

That was believable, right?

"…" Riku stared incredulously at the boy. _Van Helsing?_

Sora nervously scratched the back of his head. "Yes, well… He's my bo—"

"I'm his friend," Riku interrupted hurriedly. "We're lab partners in Biology."

Sora frowned bemusedly, but said nothing as his parents ignorantly absorbed the lie. His mother nodded, smiling blithely. She leaned an elbow on the kitchen table where the group was eating. She pointed casually at the silver-haired boy and said, her words slightly slurred, "Yo're a very attractive young man."

Riku blinked as Sora blushed, and Kairi and Naminé, having been silent thus far, giggled. Sora's father sighed and grabbed his wife by the back of her leopard-print dress and pulled her away.

"We'll see you kids later," he said, departing from the kitchen where the girls' laughs still resonated, bell-like, in the air.

Naminé and Kairi took their dishes to the sink, as they always did. "We'd better get going," Naminé said.

Sora nodded. "All right. I'll see you guys later."

Kairi paused and passed Sora an indiscernible look, and as she and Naminé headed upstairs, he followed. Naminé took her stuff and went to the bathroom to change and brush her teeth. Once in Sora's room, Kairi turned to the brunet and said point-blank, "I don't trust Riku."

Sora was taken aback. "What do you mean, you don't trust Riku?"

"Sora, how long have you even known him?"

Sora counted on his fingers. "Almost a month," he said.

"And already you're…you're… Oh, I don't even know what you two are! But… Sora, how do you know you can trust him? I mean, come on, he said he's a vampire! Which means that he's either insane or dangerous! Possibly both!" Kairi gesticulated madly as she spoke, trying to get her point across.

"Kairi… You don't get it."

The redhead frowned, looking hurt. She didn't like the idea of not understanding her best friend. "What do you mean?"

"You don't get how I feel about him," Sora elaborated. "I really, _really _like him, Kairi. I feel…safe and loved when I'm with him. There's something comforting about him, some sort of…nostalgia, or something." Sora ran his hand through his brown spikes tiredly. "I don't really understand it all that well myself. I'm not basing my actions on logic; it's all about how I feel."

Kairi shook her head, smiling sadly. "That's how you've always acted, hasn't it?"

Sora nodded. "Yeah, basically."

"Sora," Kairi said softly, "maybe for once you should listen to your head instead of your heart."

"What if my head and my heart are saying the same thing?"

"How do you know your heart's just not controlling your head?"

Sora gave a lopsided grin. "Well, then it looks like my heart wins either way, huh?"

The redhead sighed. "Sora, just…be careful, okay? I…don't want you getting hurt. And I really…" she glanced over at Sora's wall, a picture of the two of them at the beach catching her eye, "don't trust him," she finished softly.

Sora put his hand on Kairi's shoulder. "I'll be okay. I can look after myself." She nodded, meeting his gaze and giving a weak smile. He could see the sadness mingling with the indigo of her eyes and it pulled on his heartstrings, making his grin slip away and melt into a wistful sort of smile. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly, pulling away only a moment later. "You'd better get going," he said. "Naminé's waiting, I think."

And sure enough, the blonde was waiting in the hallway, her stuff in hand.

The trio trooped back downstairs. Sora's father was in the kitchen again, making coffee, it appeared. Sora looked around, noticing that the area was Riku-less. As if reading his son's mind, his father said, "Riku left. He said he'd see you on Friday." He poured some of the ebon drink into a mug, tendrils of steam coiling like a snake around the brim. "What's that about?" he asked, glancing over his spectacles at his son.

"Oh, we're just…hanging out on Friday, is all," Sora half-lied. "We're probably going to the movies, or bowling, or something." Somehow, he had a feeling Riku had other plans in mind, but he wasn't about to tell his father that.

"I see. He seems like a nice young man," his father noted.

Sora nodded genuinely. "He is."

Kairi and Naminé waved as they went out the front door. "We'll see ya later, Sora!" Naminé called.

"All right!" Sora replied before hearing the door close resolutely. Tucking his hands behind his head, he said, "Well, I'm off to do my homework."

His father nodded. Sora grabbed his backpack and darted up the stairs to his room. Somehow, he didn't think Medieval History was going to be much of an issue anymore.

000

Sora was positively ecstatic. He was practically bouncing off the walls on the bus ride home that Friday afternoon. He hadn't seen hide nor hair of Riku all week, and the prospect of their "date" that night had sent the excitement flowing. Needless to say, Naminé and Kairi were fearing for their lives.

Finally, Sora arrived home. He raced to his front door, barely managing to not tear it off its hinges as he swung it open, and headed up the stairs. He was ready to go in a matter of twenty minutes, wearing a black button-front shirt and pair of jeans. He'd even managed to comb his hair into a somewhat presentable style, though it still stuck up at various angles and gave him the unkempt adorability of a child. And the seductive innocence of one who appears to be a child but is not. The latter was Riku's impression of Sora as he materialized into his bedroom where the brunet was laying back on his bed, hands behind his head. The tan plane of his stomach that was exposed from Sora's shirt riding up was more than tempting to the vampire, but he restrained his animalistic urges.

Sora sat up upon seeing the silver-haired boy and grinned. "Hi, Riku!"

Riku smiled, sitting down on the bed beside the brunet and giving him a small kiss. "Hey," he replied.

Sora regarded Riku curiously as they sat in silence for a moment and then said, "Where've you been?"

"What d'you mean?"

"I mean, where've you been all week? I haven't seen you at all!" Sora pouted adorably, though the flicker of hurt was enough to make Riku take him seriously. "You said I'd see you before today."

Riku smiled apologetically. "I know. I'm really sorry, but I got caught up in something."

The pout disappeared, replaced with something that was a mix of curiosity and concern. "Caught up in what?"

"It's nothing," Riku said, leaning over the brunet again, this time forcing Sora to lay back down.

"R-Riku! Wait!" Sora said as the vampire began to kiss his neck. "You're gonna mess up my hair!"

"I like it that way," Riku whispered, the heat of his breath sending tendrils of electricity through Sora's body.

Sora whimpered as Riku's fingers went to undo the buttons of his shirt, giving him more access to the skin underneath. Sora reached for Riku's hands and stilled them, breathing a heavy sigh. "Riku, please, not now."

Riku looked up and met Sora's gaze questioningly, the sight of the brunet flushed and breathing as he was making him groan longingly. He bit his lip and nodded, however grudgingly. "All right." He sat up and said, "Ready to go?"

"Already?" Sora asked.

Riku nodded. "Well, I was thinking that before we go where I was planning on taking you tonight, we go somewhere else."

Sora nodded. "Okay. Go wait outside and I'll go tell my parents that I'm leaving."

"Sure thing." Riku disappeared, and Sora departed for the staircase, hopping down the stairs and arriving in the living room in record time, where his dad was sitting reading a book.

"Dad!" Sora said a little breathlessly. "Riku's here. We're gonna go out now."

Without looking up, his dad nodded an affirmative. "Just be back before eleven."

"I know." With that, Sora continued out the front door, closing it behind him. It clicked shut with a definite sound.

Riku was standing on the sidewalk, hands on his black jean-clad hips. Sora grinned and ran to his side, and no sooner had he reached the vampire than they had vanished, the very breath from Sora's throat being stolen by the force of his surprise.

When they rematerialized, the first thing Sora was aware of was a sweeping wind gusting gently around him, as if inviting him to play. He opened his eyes and squinted in the bright sunlight. Once his surroundings had registered with him, the breath that he had lost was quickly recollected in a sharp gasp. He turned in Riku's arms and asked, "Where are we?"

Riku looked over Sora's head at the picturesque landscape and said, "Paradise," with an easy laugh in his voice.

Sora laughed, too, and looked over his shoulder. Though he knew that Riku was only joking with his answer, he wouldn't have doubted that Riku was telling the truth. There was no civilization for miles around, it seemed. Where suburban houses and downtown shopping centers would be was nothing but green, splashed with red and yellow from the fields of flowers that spread like wildfire across the grass, coating the hills that sloped lazily up and down in vibrant color. Trees dotted the area, growing sparingly around them, but further away Sora could see what appeared to be a forest. The two of them were, in fact, standing in the blue shade of a tall maple tree. He looked up through its boughs at the sunlight that dappled the shade with drops of honey. "It's beautiful," he said.

Riku nodded, letting Sora out of his embrace and sitting down on the grass. "I thought you'd like it."

Sora sat down beside him, resting his head on Riku's shoulder. "Even living on the scenic island that I do, I've never seen anything like this."

"It's rare nowadays," Riku agreed. "People are too caught up in their material lives to ever get away and enjoy nature. Although, the sad thing is that in order to find something like this, they really do have to _get away_. Thousands of years ago, this was all there was, and people lived harmoniously with nature without destroying it to make room for themselves."

Sora nodded. "I know."

They were silent for a moment as the wind sang to them with its whispery notes and the trees and flowers put on a show, dancing in time to the music. Then, Sora said, "Let's play a game."

"A game?"

"Yeah. It's called 'Word Association'."

Riku chuckled. "I know that one. That's where you say a word and the other person says the first word that pops into their head, right?" Upon receiving Sora's affirmative, he said, "Okay, I'll start." He looked up through the trees at the clouds and said, "Sky."

"Space."

"Not enough."

"Time."

Riku twitched at this response, but only a little. He looked down at the top of Sora's head and continued, "Eternity."

"Fictional."

"Love."

Sora blinked and looked up at Riku inquisitively. Riku averted his eyes, and if Sora hadn't known any better, he would've thought that Riku was blushing. He said, "Um, lust."

"Desire."

"Deadly."

Riku laughed. "Deadly desire?"

Sora nodded, smiling. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing." Riku shook his head. "It just sounds like the story of my life."

"The…story of your life?"

"Mmhm."

Sora was quiet for a moment, and during that moment Riku couldn't help but feel just a little bit uncomfortable, somehow sensing that whatever was going to follow the silence wouldn't bode well. Then, the brunet said softly, "I'm sorry, Riku."

Riku started, his eyes widening just so. "For what?"

"I'm sorry that I don't remember anything." He turned to face the silver-haired vampire, throwing one leg over Riku's lap so that he was straddling it. Gently, he took the sides of Riku's face, looking him square in the eye. The sapphire and aqua seemed to coordinate so perfectly, like gems on a necklace. Sora's sudden change in demeanor was making Riku nervous.

"S-Sora?" he whispered, unconfident of his wavering voice.

"I just feel like there's something that happened in the past and…I can't remember what it is. I _should _know it; I was there, well, sort of. I know it's like a burden to you, to have to carry the memory alone. I should be able to share it with you, but I can't. And it hurts to know that I can't ease your pain, even if just a little."

"Sora, there's nothing—"

"Yes there is. I can see it whenever I look at you."

"What are you talking about? Sora, you're just…being silly…"

"I am?"

"Yes, you are."

"See! There it is again!"

"What?"

"Your voice," Sora said, leaning closer to Riku. The vampire could see the foreshadowing of tears in the sapphire eyes that he loved so much. "It's cold."

"That's because… That's because I'm angry!"

"And why would this be angering if what I'm saying isn't true?"

"Sora…" Riku took the brunet's hands away from his face and held them at his chest. "Just…don't worry about it. It's not your fault that you can't remember."

"…So, there _is _something?"

Riku didn't answer. He just wrapped his arms around Sora's shoulders and pulled the brunet close, trying to hide his expression over Sora's back. _Dammit, _he swore silently. _This wasn't supposed to happen… _"Don't worry about it," he repeated.

"I'm sorry—"

"Sora! I said—"

"I mean, I'm sorry for bringing it up now." Sora leaned back so that he could meet Riku's gaze. He gave an apologetic smile. "This was supposed to be a date, and I ruined the mood."

Riku chuckled lightly, shaking his head. "It's okay." He placed a small kiss on Sora's lips.

"So," Sora said, "where are we going tonight?"

Riku smirked. "You'll just have to wait and see."

­­000

"A… A club?" Sora stared up at the building that had a bright, blue neon sign advertising the name: ABYSS.

Riku put his hand on Sora's back, guiding the brunet forward. "A teen club," he said.

The night had crept around the sky like a skulking panther, the stars being the glinting golden eyes. The evening was cool and far from calm, especially around the club, what with all of the people milling about and filing inside. Random passersby would eye Riku hungrily, looking him up and down. He'd just wink flirtatiously and put his arm around Sora's waist, sending the clear message that he wasn't up for grabs. And Sora would always blush.

Soon, they were inside, the strobe lights glancing off the walls and lighting the dancing throng. Set around the outskirts of the dance floor were round tables where various partygoers were engaged in eating and socializing and other activities better left unlabeled.

Riku put his hand on Sora's shoulder and whispered in his ear, "If you get anything to eat or drink, make sure you let me have some first."

Sora gave Riku an inquisitive look, but upon receiving no further explanation, nodded. They found a seat at one of the empty tables in the corner as the music stopped. It was only a brief pause, however, as the DJ changed the song. Quickly, a techno beat started up at a moderate pace. Four beats into the song, and an electronic tune crescendo-ed to life, overlaying the tempo. It was a gentle melody, but nonetheless one that seduced the dancers into moving to it.

Riku turned to the brunet and stood, holding out his hand. "Care to dance?" he asked smoothly.

Sora's heart jolted, tugged by a pang of nostalgia. He nodded numbly, taking the vampire's offer. "B-But…" he stuttered as Riku dragged him towards the dance floor, "I don't…know how to dance…"

Riku turned to face Sora, smiling. "Don't worry; there's nothing to it. Just…feel the beat and let yourself go…"

Once submersed in the throng, with the blue strobe lights sliding sensuously over them, Riku pulled Sora against him so that they were standing back-to-front. He rested his hands on the brunet's waist and began moving his body in time with the music. Sora mimicked his steps so that they were gently rocking in sync. Riku had to suppress the contented sigh that desperately wanted to fall from his lips, forced from his lungs by his fluttering heart. The way that Sora's body practically fit puzzle-piece-like, so snug and natural, against his own body was so incredibly familiar and amazing that he never wanted to let the boy go. At the same time, the intimate position and sensuous way their bodies were moving stimulated more than just the butterflies in his stomach, and he had the distinct impression that the heat crawling beneath his skin wasn't from the physical activity. Vampires didn't sweat or exhaust easily, if at all, as their circulatory systems differed quite drastically from those of humans.

Soon, Sora's shy steps became steadier, and he found himself moving with more confidence. He smiled at the feel of Riku's hands on his hips and pushed back ever so slightly against the vampire, shivering at the impression of Riku's apparently toned body against his back. The heat on the dance floor was nearly suffocating, with all of the people dancing around each other in a very confined way. Not to mention, just being so close to Riku as he was and in such a position upped the temperature of the blood pounding through his veins, making him feel all the more on fire.

Something about the whole scene seemed somehow familiar… rather, nostalgic. Did he and Riku used to dance back in the medieval times? Perhaps. He felt a sad note pluck at his heart, but brushed it off as the music overrode the melody of his emotions with its own hypnotizing, intoxicating rhythm and majesty. All too soon, however, the beautiful techno tune drew to a close. Sora looked over his shoulder up at his dance partner, a smile breaking across his flushed and sweat-dampened face.

With a brief break in the music, another song started up again, an electronic version of _In the Hall of the Mountain King_ that quickly branched from the familiar melody into a face-paced beat. A woman's voice blared through the speakers, singing something like, "_Dream a dream/ Lover take me in your dream/ Take me any way you please/ Boy, you're making me scream_." The verse was followed up by the return of the well-known _In the Hall of the Mountain King _theme, which seemed as if it would be a recurring melody throughout the entire techno song.

"Do you want to take a break?" Riku asked over the pounding music as the sweaty, heat-radiating crowd around them started moving again.

Sora nodded, and together they made their way to the table they'd been at before in the corner. No one seemed to be using it, so they sat down. Actually, Sora more collapsed into his chair, while Riku—composed as ever—sank down gracefully. Leaning across the table and smiling so that the barest trace of his fangs was exposed, Riku asked, "Having fun?"

Sora nodded ardently, matching Riku's satisfied smile with his own hundred-watt grin. "Yeah! I've never danced before," he said. As an afterthought, he added, "Well, not in this lifetime, anyway."

A spark of sorrow flickered through Riku's countenance, but he prevented the spark from growing into a flame. He asked, "So, you remember dancing with me in your past life?"

Sora slowly shook his head, his brow furrowed in thought. "I don't have an actual memory exactly, more like a feeling that I've done it before. Déjà vu?" he mused.

Riku sighed wistfully, small smile in place. "Yeah, maybe."

Sora glanced around the club and spotted a bar near the corner where they were sitting. His throat was suddenly assailed with a certain thirst that needed slaking. "Hey, Riku? Can I get something to drink?" he asked.

Riku nodded and fished around in his pocket for some money. Together, they went over to the bar.

When the two met the man behind the bar, Riku's defenses were immediately raised, like a dog with its hackles. _Him? _he mentally hissed, eyes widening.

There was no way Riku could ever forget the obnoxiously red hair or vibrant green eyes, not to mention the unique triangular tattoos and the fire that seemed to be perpetually burning in an unwavering, flirtatious gaze. Oh yes, he remembered this man.

"What'll it be?" the bartender asked.

"Um… Pepsi, please," Sora answered. As the handsome redhead nodded and turned to get the soda, Sora said, "Riku, what's wrong?" The way the vampire had bristled, his eyes flashing dangerously, hadn't gone unnoticed by the brunet.

Upon realizing that his dislike for the redhead was disgustingly obvious, Riku softened and shook his head. "It's nothing," he murmured.

Sora's brow creased with worry. "Riku—"

"Here you are." The man returned with Sora's drink in hand. He leaned his elbow on the counter and gave a small, but nonetheless seductive, smile as he slid the glass across the smooth, wooden surface. Sora went to take the money from Riku, but the redhead stilled his movements, saying, "No charge."

Sora smiled brightly. "Oh… um, thanks." He took the drink, and Riku wasted no time in ushering the boy away from the bar. He could feel the redhead's poison-green eyes watching them the entire way back to their table.

Sora set his soda down and sat across from Riku. As he went to take a sip, Riku stopped him. "Sora, wait, let me taste it first."

The brunet shrugged but consented and slid the Pepsi to his date. Riku held the rim to his nose and sniffed it experimentally before placing it to his lips and tipping the glass. No sooner had the drink assailed his taste buds than Riku all but dropped the glass back onto the table, cringing in repulsion.

"Riku?" Sora asked, leaning forward a little.

Riku shook his head, looking considerably paler, and rose to his feet. His hands were clenched into tight fists at his sides, eyes glinting with a murderous intent. "Don't drink that," he ordered tersely as he strode away from the table back towards the bar.

"Riku, what's wrong?" Sora followed the vampire hurriedly.

Upon returning to the bar, Riku reached across the counter and grabbed the bartender's collar, pulling the now-startled man forward. He snarled, baring his fangs, and just as he was disappearing with the redhead, Sora clasped onto Riku's arm. Consequently, all three of them were teleported to the alley behind the club.

"What the hell!" the redhead demanded.

Riku, still with a firm hold on his collar, pushed the man against the wall. "What the fuck were you _thinking_, Axel?" Riku spat, a feral sort of growl underlying his words. "Did you think you'd be able to seduce him, you bastard?" He brought his free fist back and launched a strong punch at Axel's face. Any thought of how this complete stranger knew his name fled Axel's mind entirely, along with any questions as to how he wound up back in the alley when just moments ago he was in the club.

"Shit!" Axel swore, stars erupting behind his eyes.

"Riku, stop it!" Sora pleaded. The vampire paid him no heed as he released the man's collar. Axel fell to the grimy pavement in a crumpled heap.

"Get up," Riku commanded hotly.

"Riku, what are you doing? What happened?" Sora asked, his desperation rising.

"I'm sorry!" Axel said hurriedly as Riku grabbed him again, lifting him off the ground. "It's just—"

"There's no excuse!" Riku claimed. "There's no excuse for trying to drug him!"

"What!" Sora squeaked.

"I know! I know, I'm sorry!" Axel covered his face with his hands as Riku pulled his fist back again. "Please, it's just… heremindsmeofsomeone!" he said quickly.

"What?" Riku's arm relaxed a little, though his anger was far from appeased.

Axel dropped his hands so that they were in front of his chest, repeating slower, "He…reminds me of someone."

"What the fuck does that have to do with anything?"

"You just… You wouldn't understand!" Axel managed to glare at Riku, though his quickly reddening face and bloody lip belittled the attempted intimidating effect.

"Look, I don't care what's going on with your messed up life, but if you _ever _try anything like that again, I _will _kill you," Riku declared.

Axel nodded. Riku let him go and the redhead slumped against the wall, trembling a little. He looked over at Sora, who was too shocked at the turn of events to speak, and smiled, this time fondly. Sora wondered if the tears in those outstanding green eyes were just his imagination. Riku, still stony-faced, gently took hold of Sora's arm and prepared to teleport them away from the alley when Sora said, "Wait!"

Riku passed the brunet an inquisitive glance. "What?"

Sora broke away from Riku's hold and went over to Axel, kneeling down beside him. "Axel? That's your name, right?"

Axel looked up, green eyes startled, and nodded mutely.

Riku hissed, "Sora, what are you doing?"

Sora ignored him and continued, "Why did you try to…drug me?" The brunet, however calm he seemed, was still having trouble wrapping his mind around that concept.

Axel averted his eyes, shaking his head. "You just… You look so much like someone I know. And… I'm sorry. It was stupid—"

"Don't forget 'sick', 'twisted', 'demented', 'immoral'—"

"Riku! Sh!" Sora hushed the ranting vampire. "What does my looking like someone you know have anything to do with anything?"

"Because… I… I'm in love with him… but he…"

Sora blinked, absorbing this new information. Then, he prompted, "But he…what…?"

"He's underage."

"What?"

Axel met Sora's gaze squarely, the fire in his emerald eyes seeming just a bit quelled by the tears. "I'm twenty-three, and he's sixteen. On top of that… he doesn't even…he doesn't even return my feelings. I just... I really love him... and I want him...but I'm never going to have him. So..."

"So you figured Sora was the next best thing?" Riku spat, the disgust in his voice clear.

Axel winced, but didn't deny the accusation. Instead, he said, "I'm really, _really _sorry..."

Sora's expression softened. "What's his name?" he asked.

"Hm? Oh… Roxas."

Sora's breath hitched. "I know him!"

Axel glanced up sharply, eyes widening. "You do?"

"Yeah!" Sora smiled. "He takes kendo with me!"

"…" Axel was speechless. He smiled blithely, though it wasn't wide enough to reach his eyes, which were still doused with sadness.

Riku stepped forward and pulled Sora up by the arm. "Come on. It's getting late," he said dryly.

Sora staggered to his feet. "Axel!" he said. "I'll… I'll ask him about you…or something… Don't look so sad!"

Axel laughed softly. "Thanks, kid."

Riku dragged Sora away from the alley, and once they were out of Axel's sight, Riku dissolved both of them into the night.

000

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000

**A/N: **I don't own any of the songs I referred to, though they are real songs (though I don't know their names). If anyone wants to hear that one that Sora and Riku were dancing to, I'd be happy to send it to you! Via e-mail. :D Onto the next chapter!

000


	14. Chapter the Fourteenth

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

**A/N: **And now the continuation of the evil cliffhanger!

000

* * *

000 

**.506 AD.**

Sora and Riku turned simultaneously to face a very red-faced lord of the castle. They traded perplexed glances before Sora replied, "Yes, Father?"

The rest of the Hall was disturbingly silent, save for the slight murmurs and whispers that danced teasingly through the air. Sora took a deep breath and waded through the crowd—with little difficulty, as they parted when he neared—and stood before his father.

His father looked absolutely livid. His mother beside her husband, while not angry, per se, appeared rather curious, and perhaps a bit anxious. The tension in the air was too thick for Sora's liking.

"What were you doing?" his father hissed.

Sora jumped at the sudden remark, but quickly collected himself. "I-I was…dancing."

"With whom?" The way the words barely slipped through the nobleman's tightly pressed lips in an almost sibilant manner only caused to feed Sora's unease.

Riku came up beside Sora, supportively putting his hand on the brunet's shoulder. Sora's gaze flickered up at the vampire before returning to his father. "With Riku."

His father's eyes narrowed. "Riku?" The young brunet felt his insides freeze at the almost murderous glint in his father's gaze. "Sora, come here." His tone was like ice and made Sora's skin prickle uncomfortably. Nonetheless, he stepped forward, closing what seemed to be an impossibly long gap between them, though it was, in fact, incredibly short. The other guests had cleared the area around them, condensing on the dance floor and around the food table, as if sensing the portent of danger. They seemed very much like spectators at a jousting match.

"Y-Yes, Father?" Sora asked meekly. Never before had his father seemed so imposing.

"What were you doing dancing with a boy?"

Sora started at the blunt inquiry. He hadn't really expected it. "P-Pardon?"

"You heard me, Sora. What were you doing dancing with a boy, and taking the girl's role, no less?"

"I-I was just…"

His father stepped forward and placed his hands on his son's shoulders. "And why, in God's name, did you _kiss_ him?"

"Father, I…I'm sorry…"

"I'm not looking for an apology, Sora. I demand an answer. Why?"

"Be-Because…I wanted to…"

Sora winced as his father's grip on his shoulders tightened. "I will _not _have my son acting like a woman!" he hissed.

Sora felt tears biting at his eyes, but he bid them away. He wished his father would stop bruising his shoulders.

"Please, stop it!"

Sora turned his head. There was Riku, his expression a cross between anger and fear, something venomous flickering through the aquamarine depths of his eyes. He came up behind the brunet and met the lord's gaze squarely.

"Leave him alone," Riku almost demanded, managing to keep hold of some semblance respect in hopes of not making matters worse.

"What have you done to my son?" Sora's father redirected his anger like a javelin and pierced Riku with it.

"Nothing!" Riku exclaimed, even the thought of wronging Sora making him sick.

"What spell did you put him under?" the nobleman pressed. His hands left Sora's shoulders—much to the brunet's relief—and instead grabbed Riku's collar.

"I didn't put him under a spell!" Riku claimed aghast. "I'm not capable of—"

"He's a witch!" someone in the crowd shouted. A dull murmur bubbled over the throng of guests, ladies whispering to one another behind their hands, others nodding and pointing accusingly.

"No, he's a vampire!"

And with that, the collective gasp snuffed out the murmurs and silenced reigned. As Roxas stepped forward, Sora's father released Riku's collar and staggered warily back, staring wide-eyed at the silver-haired boy.

Sora's own eyes widened as he whirled on his cousin. "Roxas, don't—"

"He is!" Roxas ignored the brunet. "He's a vampire, and he bewitched Sora!"

Sora began to panic as the murmurs erupted anew, this time with a deadly fervor and sense of alarm. "No, he—"

"Sora!" His father turned to him, looking pale and simultaneously furious. "Is this true?"

"It must be!" A young man parted from the crowd and stood beside Roxas, his green eyes dancing with an internal sort of fire. "Roxas is the most perceptive of us all," he continued.

Sora's father nodded. "Yes, he is indeed. Got it from my brother, he did." The lord reached into the folds of his robe and withdrew a stick, sharpened to a point at one end and inlaid with silver.

Riku recognized it immediately as a stake.

He swore under his breath and glanced helplessly at Sora. As their eyes met for that split-second in time, Sora felt his heart crack, close to shattering. The pain interspersed with regret and anger shone brightly in Riku's eyes, and, without another word, he vanished.

All was still for a few fleeting seconds. Then, Sora's father announced, "If he or any of his kin step foot on my land again, they are to be eliminated at once!"

A murmur of consent rippled through the Hall. Slowly, the guests began to disperse, many retiring to their respective chambers to stay the night, others leaving for home straight way.

Sora sank to his knees, unable to cease the flow of tears rolling down his face. He tried to will his heart to slow and to calm the course of adrenaline through his veins. He breathed heavily, hoping that he didn't look too pitiful, but at the same time, not really caring.

Then he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up unto placid blue eyes so like his own. With an anguished cry, he leapt up and threw his arms around his brother.

"C-Cloud!' he exclaimed. "I… I…"

"Shhhh…it's okay, Sora." Cloud held his brother tightly, standing and pulling the brunet with him

Aerith, beside Cloud, put her hand on his shoulder encouragingly. Kairi stood at Aerith's left, silent as the grave. If one were to take the time to notice, one would see clearly the emptiness in her eyes.

After a moment or two, the Hall was vacant, leaving the four alone in the spacious place. It seemed almost eerie without the light chatter rebounding off the stone walls, but it was also peaceful without the oppressive weight of so many ignorant minds. Sora had calmed down, managing to dam his tears and control his breathing. Cloud let go of his younger brother. "You all right?" he asked.

Sora nodded, offering a weak smile. "I'll be okay."

"Good." Cloud straightened, smoothing his black silk tunic. "Why don't you show Lady Kairi to her room?"

Sora nodded again. "Right." He turned to Kairi and offered his hand, which she took, smiling softly. "This way," Sora said.

Together, they made their way through the fairly silent castle. As they passed corridor after corridor, they could hear the vague voices of the guests making themselves comfortable in their rooms. When they reached Kairi's chamber, which was down the hall from Sora's, he stopped.

"Here you are."

Kairi smiled in thanks. She opened the wooden door, seeming to hesitate for a moment. Sora was about to ask her if she was all right when she whirled suddenly in a flurry of pink frills and pressed her lips against the brunet's. Sora's eyes widened, his body seeming to lock itself on the spot and forgetting to give him the key. Kairi pulled away and murmured a soft goodnight, her face smeared with a bright, burning, rosy hue. By the time Sora had regained control of himself, the wooden door was shutting, and he was alone in the corridor. He shook his head as if to clear it and then started towards his room, fairly unfazed. The fact that Kairi's kiss had had practically no affect on him—aside from completely catching him by surprise—only reinforced his certainty that he had feelings for no one but a certain silver-haired vampire.

He allowed himself a small smile, which seemed paradoxical with the tearstains on his cheeks. He opened his door and stepped into his chamber, unknotting the cord at his waist and letting it drop to the floor, followed soon after by his tunic. He yawned tiredly, going to the window and looking out at the early morning landscape. He reckoned it would be dawn soon. The dark sky was lit with an internal sort of light, making the darkness glow a gentle blue. Another paradox.

The wind caressed his face gently, and for a fleeting moment he had the impression of Riku's hand on his cheek, ghosting over his skin softly while his breath tickled his ear with whispers of loving words. He shook his head at his whimsical musing, knowing that Riku surely didn't feel _that _way about him. Love, he meant. Which was okay with him, because he knew that he certainly didn't _love _Riku. And with the way things had gone tonight, there was a very good possibility that he might never get the chance to. He doubted he'd ever see Riku again. He knew that he couldn't possibly be worth the risk it would be for Riku to try to see him.

Sora fingered the charms that hung over his breastbone, forgoing the cross and lifting the coin-shaped amulet off his chest. He pulled it up to eyelevel to examine it in the pale light of the journeying moon, running his fingers over the words etched into the back.

_timendi causa est nescire_

"Ignorance is the cause of fear."

_How hypocritical_, he thought. He knew that the words were supposed to be like a sort of warning for those who wore the amulet—he and his family—warning them not to be ignorant, as it was a surefire way to conquer fear. For their particular family, fear was a deadly enemy. But, the very people that claimed to overcome ignorance were actually wrought with it.

For the first time since he'd been given the amulet at his christening as a newborn, he contemplated taking it off and throwing it out his window.

000

"_Dammit!_" Riku swore vehemently, connecting his fist with a sturdy tree trunk. The pain registered with him as nothing more than a dull throb. He whirled angrily on his heel, only to come face to face with none other than Sephiroth. Riku started with a gasp, eyes wide with surprise, before he composed himself and fixed an angry glare on his face. "You knew!" He pointed an accusing finger at his brother, who just met his heated stare with one of placated impassiveness.

Sephiroth shrugged. "Yes, I knew. I'm surprised that you didn't."

"Why would _I _know?"

"You couldn't sense it? You didn't see his family crest hanging around his neck?"

"The only thing he wears around his neck is his cross!" Riku claimed.

"Are you sure?" Sephiroth approached his brother with the grace of a jungle cat, and all of the predatory wickedness to match. "How do you know that he just wasn't hiding it from you all this time, waiting to spring a trap on you when you least expected it?"

Riku took a staggering step back. Never in his many years of living death had he felt so frazzled. "H-He… He wouldn't!"

"Or would he?"

Riku shook his head. "Stop it, Sephiroth! You're just trying to play your twisted mind games with me!"

"My dear brother, I would have no fun playing with your mind, as you've apparently lost it."

That did it. Without another word, Riku disappeared from the forest in which he'd taken refuge. Before he knew it, he was standing in Sora's moonlit bedroom. The brunet turned promptly to face his visitor, and a bright smile spread across his face.

"Ri—"

"Why didn't you tell me!" Riku stalked forward and gripped Sora's shoulders. The brunet flinched at Riku's apparent anger, his eyes suddenly flooded with fear. It didn't help that Riku was practically snarling, exposing his fangs, and in the blunted darkness of the room, Sora's panic was only enhanced.

"R-Riku?" Sora's voice was a bare whimper.

The vampire was breathing heavily, his chest tight with the bitter feelings of betrayal and fury. But, when the terror in Sora's round, blue eyes finally registered with him, along with the fact that he was the cause of the boy's fright, Riku's tense muscles fell lax, the vice around his heart pried away at the hands of guilt. He bid the trembling in his shoulders to subside as his fiery wrath was doused, and his hands fell numbly from the boy's shoulders. Exhaling sharply, he stepped back, ashamed at his anger.

His head was spinning.

His knees buckled and he collapsed to the floor, his face in his hands.

"Riku!" Sora gasped. He hurried forward and knelt down beside the vampire. "Wh-What's wrong?" he asked.

Riku looked up and met Sora's gaze squarely. Finally, he found the voice that seemed to have fled from the pandemonium raging within him, and whispered, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you…?"

"That you're a Vampire Hunter!"

Sora froze, his eyes going wide. "I… Riku, I…"

The other once again became confident in his ability to stand, and rose shakily to his feet. The confidence, however, was only enough to carry him to Sora's bed. He stumbled over to it and sank down on the edge. "Your whole family…" he whispered. His voice was seemingly trying to escape him again. "You're all Hunters. Your pedigree is composed of a pure bloodline of those possessing the ability to sense and hunt vampires. Cousins marrying cousins, brothers marrying sisters, all for the greater purpose of producing a line of innately skilled Hunters."

Sora knelt down on the bed beside Riku. There were crystalline tears brimming his lashes. "Riku, I…" He didn't know what to say.

"Say that it's not true!" Riku pleaded, turning earnestly to face the brunet. "Tell me that you're not one of _them!_"

"Riku, that's like asking you to tell me that you're not a vampire," Sora spoke softly. "I can't help that I was born into this family. I can't tell you that I'm not a Vampire Hunter. But," he took Riku's hand and began rubbing small circles over the top with his thumb, "I can tell you that I'm not like them."

"Wh-What are you talking about? Why didn't you _tell _me, Sora? This whole time, were you just _using _me? Were you planning to gain my trust and then turn on me and my clan? Was that your plan!"

Sora was taken aback at Riku's harsh accusations, dropping Riku's hand. "N-No, Riku… I would never do that!"

"How can I trust that you're telling the truth!" Riku stood from the bed, stepping a few paces from it across the wooden floor.

Then, something clattered across the planks and skidded before him. He looked down, catching the glint of silver. He glanced over his shoulder at Sora, seeing the brunet glaring angrily at him, tears of hurt in his eyes. Riku bent and plucked the amulet from the floor. Straightening, he turned the amulet in his hand, feeling it pulse with a deadly aura. In the dim moonlight, he could see the crown carved into the charm and saw the phrase on the back. It was clear that this was the crest of a Vampire Hunter clan. _Sora's _Vampire Hunter clan.

Sora had ripped it off his neck and tossed it to the floor. Did that mean that… Was Sora really telling the truth? Was he _not _like the rest of his family?

Riku swallowed and turned to the boy. "Sora… why? Why are you different from them?"

"_Timendi causa est nescire_," Sora whispered, his voice punctuated with indignation. "Ignorance is the cause of fear. I seem to be the only one who can grasp that concept. Riku, I understand you, I'm not afraid of you. I know that we have no reason to fear vampires. Vampire Hunters first came around thousands of years ago, when vampires were still nothing but bloodthirsty monsters. Humans had reason to hunt them then, but now, I know that vampires are different. After meeting you, I understand that. No one else seems to, though. They all live with a primeval mentality." Sora paused and looked down at his lap, his anger abating slightly. "Riku, everyday people die heedlessly. I don't want to hurt anyone, I don't want to kill anyone, especially creatures like vampires who have done me no wrong." A sob passed his lips, unbidden. "And especially you. I don't want to hurt you." His slender frame began to shake, tears finally escaping his eyes.

Riku hurried to Sora's side, his feelings of guilt renewed. He sat beside Sora and pulled the boy onto his lap, gently massaging his back. How could he have been so foolish as to distrust Sora? How _could _he? He loved this boy, and though Sora may not have felt the same way (yet), it didn't change the fact that Riku had fallen in love with Sora for a reason. He had fallen in love with him for his innocence and honesty and the light that seemed to be always spilling from his body, a light that so starkly contrasted against Riku's darkness that he couldn't help but be drawn to it. And here he was, _distrusting _the boy. How _could _he?

"I'm sorry, Sora," Riku whispered into the top of Sora's head, breathing in the gentle scent of his hair. "I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" he repeated, and continued to repeat, until Sora drew back and met Riku's gaze, the bright preface of a smile dancing in his eyes.

Riku reached up and wiped the tears from Sora's cheeks, lovingly pressing his mouth to his forehead. His lips continued down Sora's nose, and further down still, where he sparked the fire for a slow, sensual kiss. Riku shifted, leaning back against Sora's pillows in the center of the bed, pulling the brunet with him.

Sora moved so that he was straddling Riku's waist, pressing against Riku as if the vampire's body could absorb him into itself. He ran his fingers through Riku's hair, tugging it out of its imprisoning ribbon, tossing the ribbon to the side. Free from its confinement, Sora fisted Riku's moonlight-spun hair, running his tongue silkily across the other's. And then—

"Sora?"

—there came a knock at the door. They parted immediately, glancing in the direction from which the sound had come. Turning back to Riku, Sora smiled apologetically. Riku nodded in understanding and vanished from beneath the boy. Once alone, Sora raked his fingers through his suspiciously mussed hair and fixed himself up as best he could. "Come in," he invited at last.

The door opened slowly and a sphere of orange light radiating from a candlestick illuminated a pair of clear blue eyes. The visitor moved into the room and closed the door behind them. Once they'd turned to face Sora, the brunet recognized the person as the blonde girl he'd seen earlier in the Hall.

She was wearing a nightgown and pair of slippers, the flame from the candlestick in her hand contrasting against the moonlight that gilded Sora's bedroom. She looked cold, however, shivering slightly. Sora offered his hand and guided her to his bed, sitting her down and wrapping a blanket around her shoulders.

"Do you need something?" he asked politely.

"Sort of," she replied. "It's about my cousin—Kairi."

"Oh, so she's your cousin. That explains the resemblance."

The blonde nodded. "My name is Naminé," she began explaining as Sora turned to grab a fresh tunic. "Kairi…told me about what happened when you took her to her room."

"She did, did she?"

"Yes. And, I just wanted to tell you that…"

"That…?" Sora pulled the cotton shirt over his head. The hem fell to his knees, and the collar was cut into a wide V. Overall, it definitely wasn't enough to keep warm. He searched his armoire and found a jacket, tugging it on in an attempt to protect himself from the chill of the night. Now that Riku was gone, the temperature had considerably dropped some. Or at least, it seemed like it had.

"Well, I don't really know. But, I saw what happened in the Hall, and I was wondering if you would ever possibly have any interest in Kairi," Naminé said finally.

Sora laughed softly, turning to face the blonde girl. "Oh. Well, truthfully speaking, no, I wouldn't. If you saw what happened in the Hall," his heart throbbed at the memory, "then surely you can understand why."

She smiled. "Yes, that's what I assumed." It was silent for a good moment or two before Naminé spoke again, asking, "So, is he really a vampire?"

"Riku?"

"Well, I don't know his name, but the boy you were dancing with."

"Yeah, that's Riku. And…well, yes, he really is a vampire—but don't get the wrong idea," Sora hurriedly explained. "Vampires aren't to be feared or—"

"I know."

"—anything like… What? You know?"

Naminé nodded. "I know. I'm not afraid of vampires."

This snagged Sora's interest. He walked over to his bed and sat down beside Naminé. "You too?"

She giggled. "Yes, me too. I'm quite fascinated with them, actually."

"Hah, that's…admirable. I just… I've never met someone else who didn't hold any sort of enmity towards vampires."

"People hold enmity towards anything that's different. Vampires, witches—who generally aren't _really _witches; I doubt if even such a creature exists—…but, you know what I'm saying. This is why there's so much death and suffering." Here, her voice took on a painful sort of tone as she focused her blue eyes on the flickering candle flame. "If people would only be willing to accept those who are different, everyone would be a lot happier."

Sora nodded. "I understand completely."

Naminé smiled wistfully. "That's all we need: an understanding."

Sora, his gaze growing pensive, concluded, "And everyone would be a lot…happier."

Yes, everyone would be a lot happier.

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**A/N: **I know the ending is abrupt, but I needed to get these chapters out! It would be greatly appreciated if people would review both chapters, but do what you will. So, questions, comments, concerns?

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	15. Chapter the Fifteenth

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

**A/N:**

**Feather-chan: **Your review was amazing. I mean, your speculation was... wait, I'm not gonna tell you. But, I will tell you that it was a good speculation; no one else so far has guessed anything like that. I think that you will enjoy the climax; it's very promising, I assure you. And if it doesn't satisfy you, feel free to tell me so in the form of constructive criticism and/or a flame. :);; Of course, we're not at the climax yet, but we're getting there! Thanks so much for the review!

**Novelist: **Yeah, I was thinking of playing off the whole "Namine's a witch" thing, but then I decided that it would ruin my plot. For Halloween, I was actually thinking of making her dress up as a witch, but I... can't remember why I decided not to. -**shrugs**- And, hehe, yes, Kairi kissed Sora, and we all have a right to be mad at her, but look at the bright side: she helped Sora realize how much he's really attracted to Riku! XD

Plushies! Hmmm... how about you get the plushie of Riku wearing the "Die, Kairi, DIE!" shirt, and I'll take the Axel-glomping-Roxas plushie.

**goth chick tiff: **Interesting little history lesson; good to know! I love history, too. :) That's why I love writing in medieval settings and stuff like that.

**AbnormallyWeirdPerson: **Loved your review as usual! And you reviewed both 13 and 14! Double the love for you! -**glomps ch00**-

As for Riku's word association "Fictional - Love" ... hmhmhm, what exactly does that bode? Does he believe in love or doesn't he? I guess we'll all just have to find out! Riku may seem to contradict himself at times, you'll find, but that's only 'cause he doesn't know how he's feeling, either! Basically, he's in over his head. XD And yes, I tied the title in with the Word Association game; it was corny (XD) but I couldn't help it. And, I don't know whether or not Sora's dad suspects anything. He might... oh boy, this is bed when the authoress doesn't even know, ne? But they say that characters often have minds of their owns, and sometimes it's hard to tell whether the author is controlling the characters, or whether the characters are controlling the author.

And, yes, Roxas really does have good intentions, he's just a little brainwashed, what with growing up in the time period that he is AND in a family of Vampire Hunters, to boot!

**Faith Moon and Jade Sun: **Thanks for giving me the song title! It was right; I looked it up. :D Much love, and much thanks for the two, very nice reviews! -**glomps ch00**-

And as for **AXEL**: If anyone is wondering where he ties in with the past, well, he was in this part in the 14th chapter:

_"It must be!" A young man parted from the crowd and stood beside Roxas, his green eyes dancing with an internal sort of fire. "Roxas is the most perceptive of us all," he continued. _

Yup, that was Axel, though it was subtle. He comes in later, too, well, in the medieval times, that is. So you'll learn more about who he was in the past. He'll probably be in the present-time chapters more, too, but I don't know for sure. :D

Anyway, enough rambling on my part. On with the chapter!

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Riku braced himself, pushing his trembling hand against the wall as he felt his stomach heave. The soda from the club splashed sickeningly against the sidewalk as it spilled from between his lips.

"Riku?" Sora murmured.

Riku staggered past the mess that was dribbling down the bricks of the café and splattered on the cement. Sora walked behind him, warily watching the vampire. As Riku stumbled again, Sora grabbed his arm and held him steady.

"Riku," he said, "are you okay? What's wrong?"

Riku shook his head. "The soda's making me sick," he explained.

"Because of the drug?"

Again, Riku shook his head. "Not entirely. Drugs have no effect on vampires, like they do on humans. But, our diet is strictly particular. If we consume anything other than blood, our bodies reject it. Now that it's out of my system, I'll be fine."

"Oh." They rounded a corner, turning into Sora's neighborhood. "So why did you drink my soda?"

"To make sure that it wasn't tampered with. And it's a good thing I did, right?" Riku gave a shaky smile, his usually beautiful, pale face frighteningly wan.

Sora grinned, though it hardly reached his eyes. "Yeah, thanks." He leaned in and, brushing Riku's hair aside, kissed his temple. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Riku looked up at the gentle glow of the moon that illuminated the empty street. Beyond the street, he could smell the salt of the ocean. "Hey," he said. "Let's go this way."

He changed their course, and before long, there was sand beneath their feet rather than pavement, the glittering granules shifting in the wake of their steps. Looking out over the rolling ocean waves, Sora smiled. The salinity on his lips and the coarse breeze rustling his hair was all so familiar. It was home.

Riku sat down on the shore, tucking his knees against his chest. "Sora," he said as the brunet sat down beside him, "you know a boy named Roxas?"

"Yeah. Why? Do you know him?"

"…Nah. It's just…weird, isn't it? How you know the person that Axel said you reminded him of?" Riku lied smoothly. He almost panicked at the flicker of suspicion that passed through Sora's eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

"Yeah, it is. It's like…fate, don't you think?"

Riku chuckled lowly. "Maybe. Do you believe in fate?"

"After all that's happened, it's hard not to."

"Mm," Riku hummed thoughtfully.

"Hey, Riku…"

"Yeah?"

"Why didn't you want me to tell my dad that you were my boyfriend?"

"Oh." Riku worried his bottom lip between his teeth for a second before answering, "Well, in the past…when your father found out about, well, _us_…let's just say, he didn't take very kindly to the idea. So I was afraid that…"

"…That the same thing would happen this time?"

"Yeah."

"But, Riku…this is a totally different time period. He might not react so badly. We never know until we try, right?"

"…I guess. It's just…I don't know." He laughed softly then, musing, "Isn't there some saying about learning from the mistakes of the past?"

Sora laughed, too. "Yeah, something like, 'Those who don't know the past are doomed to repeat it.'"

"Exactly."

"Well, we can think about that later, I guess," Sora said softly, leaning back on his hands.

"And, Sora."

"Hm?"

"What was with that last name you gave me?" Riku turned to him with an inquisitively quirked eyebrow. "You _do _know that you named me after a vampire hunter, right?"

"Oh, yeah, that." Sora giggled. "It was the only thing I could think of on the spur of the moment."

"Right, because something like 'Smith' wouldn't have done, right?" Riku quipped.

Sora feigned turning the idea over in his head, taping his chin thoughtfully. "_Riku Smith? _Nah, I like _Riku Van Helsing _much better."

Riku shook his head, a smile quirking his lips. The smile faded ever so slightly as he looked out over the moonlit ocean waves. They were silent for a moment before Riku said, sounding almost timid, "Hey, Sora, would you mind terribly if I kissed you right now?" 

Sora turned to Riku, tilting his head and smiling amusedly. "I was able to handle the taste of blood, I think I can handle the taste of regurgitated Pepsi."

Riku laughed softly before leaning over and pushing Sora back, pinning him to the sand. Then, he leaned down and captured Sora's lips with his own.

The taste wasn't as bad as Sora had initially expected; on the contrary, there really wasn't anything particularly revolting about the way that Riku's mouth tasted. It was just…Riku. Something sweet and something sour, something delicate and something poignant, and something that was so ephemeral that Sora couldn't name it, but it was always flickering through Riku's lips. Riku's tongue invaded Sora's mouth, playing flirtatiously with the brunet's and making Sora emit something just short of a moan.

Riku's hand snuck between himself and Sora, surreptitiously beginning to undo the buttons of Sora's shirt. Sora's arms were wound around Riku's middle, unaware of the busy hand until he felt something cold wash over his chest. Breaking from the kiss he looked down and realized that his shirt was very open, exposing him from the neck to the hem of his pants.

"No fair…" Sora breathed, still gasping from the previous kissing. He reached up and pulled the zipper on Riku's black vest, drawing it across his chest and down his stomach. Smirking impishly, Sora relieved Riku of the garment entirely, tossing it aside. As Riku leaned down to place open-mouthed kisses along Sora's jaw and neck, the brunet's fingers crawled around Riku's pale shoulders and held tightly. But then, they froze as they traced the outline of something that, by now, Sora recognized as one of Riku's Deadly Sin markings.

Riku shivered at the touch, Sora's name whispering across his parted lips.

"What's this one?" Sora asked.

"A-Anger…" Riku replied shakily as Sora continued to tease the brand gently with his fingertips. Sora propped himself on an elbow and peered over Riku's shoulder, seeing the tattoo just to the left of Riku's right shoulder blade. Riku sat back on his knees and looked at Sora helplessly. Bared as he was, he was more vulnerable than ever. Sora cocked his head curiously at the foreign look on Riku's visage. With his roseate lips parted slightly, his eyes, like faceted aquamarines, glittering lustfully and beautifully and almost pleadingly in the shadows skewed across his ethereal face, his hair playing around his head in the wind, cascading waterfall-like to his shoulders. The moon behind him served as a halo, outlining his silver head in a ring of light and near-silhouetting his front.

"Riku?" Sora murmured inquiringly.

"Sora…" Riku was breathless, flustered.

Sora's eyes roamed over Riku's exposed chest, noticing yet another marking. He leaned forward excitedly, like an archaeologist discovering a new fossil, and brushed the tattoo with his fingers, eliciting another shudder that went unnoticed by the brunet. "And this?" he asked.

Riku looked down at Sora's hand that was skating across the skin of his chest, right over where the pulse of his heart could be felt. "Pride."

"So…you have five above the waistline," Sora noted. He brushed Riku's hair aside, feeling the tattoo below his ear. "Envy." His fingers trailed to the one on Riku's chest. "Pride." They continued their trek to Riku's opposite shoulder and rounded it. "Anger." Down his arm, to his wrist. "Gluttony." And then, finally, to the sensitive spot of skin just below Riku's navel. "And Lust."

"Sora, stop it," Riku entreated, his head sloping forward to rest on Sora's shoulder. His breath was barely escaping the narrow of passage of his throat, tight and shallow. He didn't know if he could stand much more of Sora's inspection.

"Huh?" Sora blinked. "What's wrong, Riku?"

The vampire let loose a chuckle as dry as a sun-baked bone in the desert. "You don't understand, do you?"

"U-Understand what…?"

Riku lifted his heavy head and met Sora's lazuline gaze, smiling wryly. "Sora, when someone—especially a human—makes love with a vampire—"

Sora squeaked at the mentioning of making love, blushing brightly.

"—they have to understand that the vampire is giving that person more than just their body. They're giving them their trust, entirely and completely. Because vampires are most vulnerable when they're naked. It means that all seven Deadly Sin markings are exposed and free to be exploited—"

"'Exploited'?"

Riku smirked half-heartedly. "Yes. The markings are…so sensitive, you can easily knock down a vampire's defenses by touching them, especially all of them within a short time span. Like buttons, almost. And when a vampire is naked, all seven are exposed at once, all of them are vulnerable." His sort-of-smirk became a wistful half-smile. "Sin is the greatest weakness in this world, you know,…it's the greatest weakness of man. Pride, greed, envy,…sloth,…gluttony,…lust,…anger… They are all weaknesses, each in their own way." He took Sora's hand in his own and began absentmindedly tracing circles over the soft skin of the brunet's palm. "Sora, by baring myself to you, I would be giving you everything."

Sora caught Riku off-guard and wrapped his arms tightly around Riku's neck, causing him to topple back into the sand. Sora nuzzled his face in Riku's neck, and the vampire could feel something wet. Was Sora crying? "Why, Riku?"

"Why…what?"

"You said… When you first met me a month ago, you said that we used to make love every night that we were together. Why would you…place so much trust in me?" Sora's voice was muffled against Riku's neck, but Riku could still discern the barely-there waver of impending sobs.

"…Because…I loved you…"

Sora breathed deeply, pushing himself up to meet Riku's gaze. "And…do you love me now?"

"…Yes."

000

Lulu sniffed the salty air and _tsk_ed disapprovingly. "Someone's lying," she said coyly. "Can't you smell it?" Dark eyes turned on the woman standing beside the poppet-loving witch.

"…It's all for the greater good of the plan, I suppose," Paine said phlegmatically. She brushed a mouse-brown lock of hair from in front of her ruby eyes. "Are we done here?" she asked, scanning the black horizon that separated the inky canvas of night from the white crests of the ocean waves.

"Yes." Lulu turned on her boot-clad heel, the sand of the precipice crunching beneath her feet. "He is quite a creature, don't you think? That Riku…"

"Lulu!"

Paine and Lulu turned to the third party who'd just entered the scene. Yuna was out of breath and had a flicker of murderous intent in her dual-colored eyes. "Lulu, stop avoiding me!" she yelled. She reached into the bag swinging at her side and pulled out a familiar set of poppets, angrily throwing them to Lulu's feet. "You lied to me!" Yuna accused.

Lulu flipped her raven hair over her shoulder. "Did I?"

"You did," Yuna seethed. "You told me you'd dispelled the enchantment. You told me you'd ended the spell! Why are these poppets still intact? I found them in your drawer!"

"And what were you doing in my room?" Lulu asked calmly.

"I was returning the athame I borrowed last month," Yuna explained, lying through her teeth but not caring at that moment. Lulu didn't seem to pick up on the lie.

"Well, Yuna, I didn't end the spell. And even if I did now, it would do no good."

Yuna narrowed her eyes. "And why's that?"

"Because its effects are already too deeply rooted."

"What effects? What did you _do_, Lulu?"

Lulu ignored her, turning to her companion. "Let's go, Paine."

The stoic girl nodded, following the elder witch as she brushed passed Yuna without a care.

"Paine, how could you?" Yuna asked her friend's retreating back.

"How could I what?" Paine said, not turning around as they continued walking away.

Yuna exhaled heavily through parted lips. She didn't answer the question, knowing that she would get no where if Paine was deciding to play dumb. Yuna straightened, stepping forward and stooping to gather up the poppets before standing tall again. She glanced skyward to the moon, her eyes beseeching. "Oh Goddess," she prayed quietly. "Please, help me." She closed her eyes and listened to the wind gust gently around her, the waves lapping at the shore. Moments later, she looked down from the precipice that hung over the ocean to the bodies tangled on the shore. Her eyes traveled back to the poppets in her hands, then once again averting back to the bodies. She feel the connection, and knew then what she had to do.

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**A/N: **FYI: An "athame" is a ritual knife used for dividing energy and drawing Circles, as well as...erm... cutting things, like chords, and carving, like carving things into candles and stones and sand and anything else. It's also the symbol of Fire.

So, everyone, comments, questions, concerns? Review, please!

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	16. Chapter the Sixteenth

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

Special thankses to

**+A**_b_nor_mally_**W**ei_rd_**P**er_son_

**+R**_a_in_bow_**S**_e_ren_ity_

**+K**_o_li_e_

**+K**_a_mir_ine_**G**odd_ess_

for your amazingly extensive and wonderful reviews! -**mega-glomps chuu all**- It makes me really happy when people take the time to put down their thoughts and tell me what they really think about my story, and then to go a little beyond that. :D Of course, all review are appreciated, and thank you to everyone else! I'm so glad everyone's enjoying the story, and I'm _soooooooooo_ sorry for the INCREDIBLY LATE UPDATE! -**spazzes**-

butnowIshouldbegettingbackontrackandasapresenttoyouallIhaveincludedaLEMONinthischapter. Hopefully everyone will like it, even if it's not the greatest. As I have sincerely no personal experience in this area, forgive me for any flaws and/or inaccuracies, and if you don't like lemons, then I apologize for this chapter. :);;

Enjoy!

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**.506 AD.**

His goblet slipped from his hand, crashing to the stone floor with a resounding _clang_, rolling away on its golden side. Its contents spilled out onto the ground, staining the stone blood-red, running in claret trickles that made the hallway floor look like a wounded animal. Cloud stumbled sideways, leaning heavily against the wall and struggling for even breath. His companion gripped his shoulder to steady him, but he roughly shook the hand away, whirling on the brunet with a certain fire lighting his bluer-than-blue eyes. "Don't touch me!" he snapped, wavering precariously again as he took another step.

"You're drunk," Leon stated, taking in Cloud's flushed skin and glazed expression.

"'m _not _drunk," Cloud slurred unconvincingly. "I bar'ly had _anything _ta drink…"

"After taking Lady Aerith to her room, you went back to the Hall and practically drowned yourself in wine."

Cloud shook his head, whether to try in vain to clear it or to deny Leon's claim, one couldn't tell. It was probably both. "'m _not drunk_," the blonde reiterated.

And with that, he grabbed the brunet and spun him, pinning him to the wall. Then, he did something that didn't exactly help his case, and captured Leon's lips with his own. The fact that Leon could clearly taste the bittersweet residue of alcohol in Cloud's mouth made him inwardly scowl. As tempting as it was to flip their positions and ravish the blonde for all he was worth, Leon forced Cloud away, holding him at arm's length. "Snap out of it," he growled.

He saw something flicker at the edges of Cloud's eyes, something like a sense of dawning comprehension. Anger rode the fire of dawn into a scorching blaze, and the next thing Leon knew, Cloud's fist was drawn and coming sharply across his face. "Bastard," he accused angrily.

Leon blinked the spots out of his vision. "Wh-What?" he asked shakily.

"You're a vampire!" Cloud hissed, his drunken slur somewhat more comprehensible, but still present. "I…felt them… your fangs."

"Oh." Leon blinked. "Damn."

They stood in tense silence for a while. Cloud was still glaring at Leon (though the alcohol-induced glaze in the blue eyes blunted the glow of the fire), and Leon was still trapped against the wall (and too stunned to make the situation otherwise). Then, they were kissing. Heatedly. Passionately. Desperately. Wantonly. Leon felt his energy ripple and the next thing he knew, he was teleporting them to Cloud's room, where they stumbled clumsily to the bed. Cloud fell back on the feather mattress, pulling the brunet with him, and began to divest Leon of his tunic.

"C-Cloud…" Leon gasped as he felt the cold air clash with his conflagrant skin. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Same thing you are," Cloud answered. He rolled them over until they were centered on the bed, his blonde head cushioned by a pillow that had the sunken impression of years of use.

"And what…am I doing?" Leon murmured as his hands, seemingly of their own accord, began to untie the cord at Cloud's waist.

"You're giving me what I want…" Cloud sat up so that he could pull his V-necked blue shirt over his head, tossing it aside and shaking his hair back into place before grabbing Leon by the shoulders. He pulled the brunet down, sealing their lips together.

Leon made it brief, forcing them apart. He mentally cursed how already his breath was short and his heart was racing. "Cloud…" he murmured, unable to help himself as his eyes traced every line of the blonde's exposed upper body. There was no denying that he wanted Cloud, no denying that he cared about him in a way that he'd never cared about anyone before, but there was also no denying that Cloud had no idea what he was doing. Something was wrong. "Why did you get so drunk?" Leon demanded, solid in his tone of voice. Cloud tried to pull Leon back down for another kiss, but Leon grabbed his hands and pinned them above his blonde head. "Why are you doing this?" he hissed.

He didn't expect what came next. Cloud relaxed into the pillows, the fire in his expression extinguishing. He screwed his blue eyes shut, as if they stung, and his body began to tremble, slowly at first.

Leon frowned worriedly. "Cloud…?"

"It's not fair," Cloud said, his voice wavering. "He didn't do anything wrong…"

"Who?"

"My brother…" Cloud wrenched his hands free from Leon's grip and sat up, covering his face with his hands. His shoulders were trembling more violently now with suppressed sobs. "I-I hate this world. I hate the court, I hate th-their damned superstition, their damned i-ignorance… He didn't do anything wrong, and they're punishing him!"

Comprehension suddenly dawned on Leon. "Riku…" he breathed.

Cloud looked up. His eyes were red, but he had yet to let loose any tears. "Were you there?"

Leon nodded. "Yes, I was there. But…Riku is a vampire, it's understandable that they wouldn't want—"

"Don't be stupid," Cloud snapped. "It's not only that he's a vampire, it's that he's a _male _vampire. So not only are they going to set up extra reinforcements to keep him off the land, but they're going to…going to…" He was covering his face again, leaning forward into Leon. Without hesitation, Leon wrapped his arms around Cloud's back, pulling him close. "…Sora…" Cloud whispered, his breath hot on Leon's neck. "It's not fair…"

Leon pushed Cloud away a little and tilted his chin up, searching his eyes for a fleeting moment before pressing his lips to the blonde's. Cloud didn't protest, but rather melted into it, winding his arms around Leon's neck and pulling him down. His fervor had returned, his hands moving to the waistline of Leon's pants. Leon bristled, catching hold of Cloud's wayward hands. "Cloud…"

"Please, Squall…" Cloud pleaded, pushing his hips into the brunet's. Leon gasped at the contact, screwing his eyes shut. His self-control slipped, then, and he allowed the blonde to push his pants past his waist. He sat up and kicked them off, tossing them to the floor.

When he returned to Cloud, the blonde had already gotten his pants off, too. He rewound his arms around Leon's neck, pulling him down. Leon kissed along Cloud's jaw and down his neck, delighting in the soft gasps and sighs and moans he elicited. Cloud's fingers were drawing lines across Leon's back, his body arching as Leon pressed his lips across the blonde's chest, feather-light teasing kisses.

"Cloud," Leon murmured, "are you sure you want this?"

"_Yes_," was the throaty reply. "Yes, _please_ Squall…"

Leon watched as Cloud's expression contorted between pain and pleasure, frustration and desire. He couldn't deny the blonde anymore. He needed this, and anything Cloud needed, Leon would give him.

000

The pale shimmering gold of dawn spilled across the stone sill of Cloud's arched window, bringing with it the morning chill. The air rippled, and then there was a third presence in the room. Cool, calculating aquamarine eyes swept over the sight laid before them, and a mouth opened in a soundless gasp. Riku shook his head and snapped his jaw closed again, and then stalked over to the bed. He took hold of Leon's shoulder and shook the brunet awake.

Leon's eyes opened tiredly, and he squinted before recognition dawned in the fogged depths of gaze. He sat up with a start, careful not to wake the blonde dozing beside him.

"Are you crazy?" Riku hissed. "What do you think you're _doing_?"

Leon went from startled to indignant in a matter of point-six seconds, his slate-blue eyes narrowing venomously. "What's that supposed to mean?" he replied, his tone hushed but angry.

"The castle is on high alert enough as it is without _two _vampires in the vicinity!" Riku snapped, keeping his voice low. "And you _slept _with him? You know how dangerous that is… someone could have walked in and stabbed a stake through your chest and you wouldn't have even realized until there was blood on the sheets. _Now _of _all _times…" Riku sighed and shook his head, turning away with a disappointed and saddened frown on his face.

Cloud stirred, murmuring softly. Leon looked down at him, and then gave Riku a pointed look. The silver-haired vampire, arms crossed, dissolved from the room just as Cloud was opening his eyes.

The blonde sat up, running fingers through his disheveled flaxen locks. He turned his gaze to Leon. There was a beat, a frighteningly long and heart-stopping beat, before Cloud's eyes widened and his face turned red. He pulled the sheets around himself, as if in defense, and glared at Leon. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked.

Leon shook his head. "Why is everyone asking me that?"

Cloud ignored him and his hand suddenly flew to his neck, his fingers probing the skin. Leon stilled his movements with a hand on his arm. "I didn't bite you," he said. "We don't bite humans."

Cloud batted Leon's hand away, returning to glaring at the brunet. "What did you do?" he demanded. "What happened? Why…?" He groaned, doubling over, as pain ricocheted through his skull. He felt awful. His head was pounding, his stomach was uneasy, and his…his… oh, God. He glanced sideways at Leon, his look both incredulous and incensed. "You raped me!" he accused.

Leon started. "What? I… No I didn't!"

"Yes… you did! How else would I…?" Cloud gasped and leaned over the side of the bed, his stomach heaving. With wounded moan, he laid back against the pillows, his hands on his head. Pain seared up his back, sprouting from just below his tailbone. "Why…?" he groaned.

Leon winced, as if stung. "You…asked me to…"

"I can't even remember," Cloud murmured.

"You were drunk," Leon said.

Cloud turned disbelieving eyes on the brunet. "You took advantage of me!"

Leon screwed his eyes shut, putting his face in his hands. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't…"

"You didn't _what_?" Cloud demanded. He shook his head, putting it in his hands, and began mumbling in a panicked way under his breath, things like "_If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death_" and "_…and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error_" and "_Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God._" He choked, whimpering, "Sodomites…"

Leon shook his head, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. His chest stung, his head was spinning, as if _he _had been the one drunk last night. Cloud didn't understand. How was he supposed to explain? How was he supposed to make Cloud understand? He couldn't. He couldn't do anything. It had been a mistake. A very big mistake. "I'm sorry," he said again. "I didn't want to hurt you." He glanced at Cloud over his shoulder and dematerialized on the spot, leaving Cloud alone. The blonde pulled his knees to his chest and closed his eyes tightly, bidding away tears.

Why was everything always so wrong?

000

Dull-edged metal swords clanged in the empty courtyard. Sora stepped forward, Roxas stepped back, the winter sun baring halfheartedly down on them, heat combating with the frosty breeze. It cooled the sweat on the boys' faces, muted the metallic collisions of their practice weapons. Sora's mother stood by with a proud smile on her face, and watched while Cloud and the lord of the castle spoke quietly to each other.

"Yes Father, I enforced the defenses," Cloud said for what seemed to be the umpteenth time, if the exasperation in his voice was anything to go by. "All of my men are on alert; if they see anything they'll report directly to me—"

"And…"

"—And I'll report directly to you." Cloud rolled his eyes, a rare display of impudence towards his father.

A hand landed heavily on the blonde's shoulder. "Son, you may not yet understand the weight of what is happening here. Vampires are a serious threat," he said, repeating in a murmur, "Serious, serious." The lord straightened a little, hand falling to his side. "They are godless creatures, of little ethic and drowning in sin. Our family has to uphold its service to God and deliver their ruin."

"Father," Cloud said sharply, "I know. You need not remind me." He scowled, remembering the happenings of a few weeks ago, at the celebration feast. He couldn't have had been more embarrassed to leave his room and walk through the halls with hindered grace, wincing whenever he'd sit down. And yet…he also remembered the numerous other occasions where there were gentle touches and kind words and understanding. _Squall…_

"Cloud, are you all right?"

He shook his head, looking over at his mother, and then nodded curtly. "I'm fine, Mother." Cloud turned on his heel and stalked away into the castle.

Meanwhile, Roxas slashed horizontally across Sora's chest, missing by little more than a hair's breadth. "Hey!" Sora regarded Roxas with something like indignation. "Watch it; they may be blunted blades, but you can still hurt someone with them."

Roxas smirked, pulling his arms back again and saying, "I know," before swinging down. Sora dove to the side, rolling to his feet, and held his weapon in front of him, his stance one of defense.

"What's wrong with you?" Sora demanded, deflecting another of Roxas's attacks.

Roxas scowled, and then brought his sword to his side. He turned and left the courtyard, telling his aunt and uncle on his way out that he'd had enough practice for the day. Sora followed suit, angry and confused.

In the quiet of the hallway, Sora rounded on his cousin, grabbing his arm to stay him. "What is your problem, Roxas? You've been like this for a while now. Why won't you tell me what's wrong?"

The icy blue of Roxas's eyes had never seemed more ablaze. He glared silently at Sora, smoldering in something between stubbornness and resentment.

"Answer me," Sora demanded.

"Don't talk to me." Roxas wrenched his arm out of Sora's grasp and he began storming away down the corridor.

"Why not?" Sora followed, his hands clenched at his sides. "Dammit, Roxas, tell me what's wrong!"

"It's nothing!" Roxas shouted, turning up a stairwell.

"It's something!" Sora continued to trail him, relentless in his search for answers.

Roxas stopped in the middle of the staircase. It was dank and chilly, lit by flickers of firelight. He turned slowly, one foot on a stair above the other, and his hand on the stone wall. "What does this mean to you?" he asked, gesturing to the amulet hanging around his neck. It was a silver disk embossed with a three-pronged crown.

Sora looked serenely at the necklace, his eyes betraying neither contempt nor adoration. "It's a false institution," he replied finally.

"A f—a _false institution?_" Roxas fumed. "It represents our family, Sora! It represents the line of duty we're to uphold and protect and—and—!" He took a deep breath, and it shuddered with undulations of anger. "Is our _family _a false institution, Sora? My father… did he _die _living in a false institution? Was my _mother_ _killed_ in the name of a _false institution?_" Roxas's fist clenched tightly, his knuckles white, and flew up and over, knocking a sconce from its place. Sora gasped as the candle tumbled through the air towards him, not hitting him but splattering hot wax across his neck and chest. He hissed, hurrying to wipe it from his skin.

Roxas didn't apologize. He turned again and continued up the stairs. His face set into a definite glare, Sora followed. "Roxas! Stop this! I didn't mean it like that." They came upon the landing, and Roxas started towards his room, his and Sora's footsteps echoing in the empty hallway. "Vampire Hunters!" he said with some desperation. "The Vampire Hunters are the false institution!"

"They aren't!" Roxas returned, stopping outside his bedroom door. "Vampires are the spawn of Lucifer himself. They're branded with the Seven Deadly Sins! They feed off of the blood of humans—"

"They don't!" Sora argued. "They don't bite humans! They feed off of livestock and other animals!"

"Did _Riku _tell you that?" Roxas sneered. "I bet he did. He lied to you, Sora! He's trying to gain your trust, so that he and his clan can infiltrate the castle and wash the stones in our blood. You're going to be the ruin of us all, if you continue to affiliate with him! And the ruin of _yourself! _If you won't stop this for the sake of your family, then do it for yourself! Sora… I…" Roxas's anger bled into something softer, something like dormant panic and concern. "I don't… I _can't _watch you die…not you, too. Not you…" The blonde swallowed thickly, fighting back tears. "I can't lose someone else dear to me. You can't do this! You have to kill Riku!"

Sora's eyes widened. "Roxas…!" While feeling suddenly guilty, now realizing that Roxas's hate for Riku wasn't merely his innate hatred for all vampires but also worry for Sora's safety, he still couldn't abide by Roxas's demands. "Roxas, I can't do that. That would be like asking me to cut my own heart from my chest and feed it to the dogs! Don't you _get _it? Roxas, I'm _in love_ with Riku! I…I love him!"

Roxas's eyes mimicked Sora's in their widening before narrowing sharply. "He's bewitched you!"

Sora put his hand on the wall to steady his suddenly spinning head. "He hasn't! He would never…!"

"He would! He's a vampire! Godless, lawless, without moral, hungry for innocence, hungry for your blood! They're gluttonous, greedy, lusty monsters! They're dissembling and deceiving and seductive and Riku is no different from the rest of them. You have to kill him before he kills us all!"

"Stop it!" Sora shouted, his eyes clenching shut for a brief moment in which the brunet bid away his tears. "They're not like that! Riku's not like that! You're wrong! He…"

"Sora, you're only leading yourself towards heartache and damnation. You'll go to Hell for this! Riku will kill you and there will be no Salvation for you!" Roxas didn't care if he was being harsh. If that was what it took for him to make Sora understand, for him to save Sora from so much suffering, then so be it. "Don't expect love from a creature that has no heart."

Sora looked down at the floor. His chest felt tight, his throat constricted. Roxas was wrong. Riku did have a heart. Sora himself had felt it beating. Roxas was _wrong_.

Roxas _had _to be wrong.

The blonde, with his jaw set, pushed his door open. It swung with a tired groan, and then slammed shut behind Roxas. Sora looked sightlessly at the wooden door, and then turned and started for his own room.

000

It was late, the stars twinkling outside of Sora's arched window like empty promises in an endless expanse of ebon sky. It was still and quiet, the nighttime wind whispering through the trees in the not so far-off forest. There came a knock at the door.

"Sora?"

Sora, laying in bed with his arms tucked behind his head, flicked his eyes towards the door. "Come in."

His bedroom door creaked open. He caught a glimpse of golden hair—so much like his brother's—and a pretty face. "Sora, love…" His mother's voice trailed, as if there was more she wanted to say—or thought she should say—but couldn't find the words. Instead, she said, "Good night."

Sora nodded, turning back to the window as his door closed again, hopefully for the last time until morning. Ever since the feast, he'd been being checked on every night before going to sleep, either by his mother or his father or one of the servants, if the former two were too preoccupied to do it themselves. Initially, the check-ups had been frequent, at least three or four times before sunrise, and there had been guards stationed outside of his door, awake all night and listening for the voice of a visitor. But gradually their security slackened, and now only one inspection before bed seemed necessary. It had been almost two months, after all.

Sora swallowed thickly. Two months. Two months without seeing Riku. Sora thought he was holding up pretty well, all things considered, but soon he'd come to realize that something inside of him was slowly withering. Everyday, every dawn and noon and dusk and midnight and all of the time in between without seeing Riku, some of Sora's hope died. He wasn't even consciously aware of this hope, consciously aware of his belief that Riku would come back soon, come back and kiss him and tell him he'd never leave him again, consequences be damned. But when it was gone, when this hope was a buried cadaver, rotting in its unmarked sepulcher, Sora would become aware of it. Because, really, one doesn't know what one has until it's gone. Isn't that the way it goes? Surely, that's the way it goes.

But Sora wasn't yet aware of this hope, because the rational part of his mind was telling him that there was no hope. It wouldn't even let the letters (h-o-p-e, in that order) grace a shadow of Sora's thoughts. Because surely there was no way that Riku would come back. It was too dangerous. He had come back that once, that one night after the celebration feast, but never again. And he wouldn't come back, ever again. Never, ever, ever again. There was just no way, absolutely no—

"Sora?"

Sora started. It was soft, whispered, almost absorbed into the usual sounds of the night, but he'd heard it. He sat up, his eyes searching the darkness, and sure enough, partly silhouetted against the moonlight and crouched on the windowsill, was a figure he wouldn't mistake for anything else. Silver hair catching on the ribbons of opalescent lambency, pale skin highlighted and glowing with an ethereal grace that only Riku could contain… Sora drew a sharp breath, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

"Ri—"

Fingers on his lips, silencing him. When had Riku moved from the window? And then Riku was moving again, swiftly and silently, like a jungle cat on the hunt. He was at Sora's door faster than the brunet could realize, his ear pressed to the cold wood. He couldn't hear the breathing of others, couldn't sense any aura signatures close by. He sighed with relief and drew away from the door, straight to Sora's bed.

Sora watched him, blue eyes wide. Riku sank down on the edge of the brunet's feather mattress, leaning forward and immediately capturing Sora's lips with his own. Sora melted, pressing towards Riku and returning the kiss with earnest, wondering if maybe this was a dream.

Because surely there was no way that Riku would come back.

"I'm here," Riku whispered after pulling away. The hot breath ghosting over Sora's lips was real enough. The cool fingers on his face were real enough. The beyond beautiful aqua eyes looking sincerely into his own were real enough. "Sora, I'm right here." Riku pressed his forehead against Sora's, holding the brunet's cheek with his hand.

"You…are…?" It was more of a question, and then, "You are," a statement, definite, confident, sure.

Riku smiled, something soft and bittersweet. "I am."

With a heavy exhale, Sora wrapped his arms around Riku's neck and pulled him close. Sora's shoulders were trembling, rattled by excitement and anxiety and a plethora of other emotions swirling in his heart. So many that he couldn't name them all. Oh wait, there was one there, one that he could very well name. Love. Love was there.

"Riku," he whispered, stroking the vampire's silver hair, "Riku, I love you."

Riku froze for a scant moment, a moment in time that seemed longer than all of the years he'd lived thus far, and in that moment his heart beat only once, heavy against his chest and loud in his ears. Then his eyes widened, shutting tightly immediately after, his face over Sora's shoulder. His arms were securely around Sora, holding the brunet to him as if he belonged nowhere else, but there. There, with him. "I love you too," he replied, softly, quietly, as if the words would shatter if they were spoken too loudly.

And then Sora's lips were against his, satin and succulent and familiar. He pressed into Sora's kiss, returning it with equal fervor and then some. Delicate, like the pale twine of light trickling like water across the windowsill, like the wind caressing the nighttime realm, like the birds nestled into their nests for the night, like the wide wise eyes of the nocturnal owls, hooting a lullaby for the rest of the world to hear. Like the not so far-off stream running cool and smooth between ancient trees, silent sentinels of the forest, boughs dipping and swaying in the breeze. The remnants of their browned leaves were carried away that night, lighting softly, softly, like Riku's lips against Sora's cheek, his ear, his temple, his eyelid, his forehead. It was beautiful like the stained-glass windows that overlooked silent, empty pews in the deserted sanctuary, beautiful like the incandescent wings of angels.

The world spiraled in on them as Riku pushed Sora against the pillows of his bed, and returned to kissing his lips, coaxing his tongue into Sora's mouth. Sora offered no protest. He wrapped his arms around Riku's neck, pulling him closer, tilted his head and parted his lips to touch his tongue to Riku's. Riku tasted like the usual, something more nectarous than the fruit of Eden, and yet something tart and bitter was there too. Something sweet, something sour, and altogether ambrosial.

Sora mewled happily, pushing his fingers into Riku's hair. They moved through it like it was water, only silkier. Riku reached for the hem of Sora's warm tunic, pushing it up and over the brunet's head. Sora did the same for Riku, and so a new exploration began.

"Hah… S-Sor-ah…" Riku gasped as Sora's fingers danced over his back, brushing one of his markings. Sora's hand stilled, and then found the spot again, experimentally rubbing it with his fingertips. A shiver racked Riku's body.

Sora kissed Riku's cheek. "What's this one?"

"Anger," Riku replied breathily, pressing his lips softly to Sora's before moving to kiss his neck.

Sora hooked his leg around Riku's and shifted his weight, pushing Riku onto his back. The pillows and sheets _pmf_ed around him, and the vampire growled lowly. Sora just grinned and straddled his waist, flattening his hands over Riku's chest. He spied another tattoo, over Riku's heart. He traced it with his finger, head cocked curiously. Riku's breath hitched, and his spine bowed slightly, moving unconsciously into Sora's touch like a flower leaning towards sunlight. "This one?"

"Take a guess," Riku breathed. "There are only four more."

Sora hummed thoughtfully, sliding down until he was laying on top of Riku. He kissed one of Riku's collarbones. "Sloth?"

Riku shook his head, threading his fingers through Sora's brown spikes of soft hair.

"Avarice."

Another negative. Riku couldn't help but smirk slightly. It didn't go unnoticed by the brunet. Sora pressed his lips to Riku's chest in a light trail from his neck downwards, coming to rest eventually over Riku's tattoo. Riku tensed a little, suddenly suspicious. And he had the right to be, exposed as he was.

"Pride," Sora guessed again, licking the marking.

Riku bit his lip. "Y-Yeah, that's it. Sora, if you don't stop that, I'm going to throw you down and have my way with you right now."

Sora chuckled, but Riku knew he was blushing from the heat his face radiated. "W-Would you really?"

Riku paused, thinking it over. Would he really? "Do you want to find out?" he teased, drawing his fingers along Sora's spine.

Sora sat up slightly. "Yes," he replied.

"Yes?" Riku propped himself up on his elbows, regarding Sora curiously. His heart pounded demandingly against his chest, almost deafening in his ears. "You mean…?"

Sora nodded, biting his lower lip and staring down at Riku's stomach. "I… I love you."

Riku sat up further, wrapping his arms around Sora's waist. "I love you too," he murmured, kissing Sora again. Sora received it earnestly, linking his arms around Riku's neck and tilting his head. The moon outside Sora's window silhouetted them, leaving a silver aureole to outline their entwined forms.

Sora's hands moved eventually from behind Riku's back to down his chest, reaching the hem of his pants. Riku broke the kiss, breathing heavily, and moaned softly as another of his tattoos was carelessly caressed. Sora recognized the marking by touch, outlining the foreign symbol with his fingers. "What about this one?"

"L-Lust." Riku's answer came out in a husky murmur, ghosting over Sora's ear and sending a shiver down his spine. Riku put his hands over Sora's and set to the task that Sora had started. He turned them and pressed Sora into the mattress, sliding his pants over his waist and letting them slide off of the bed. They hit the stone floor with a quiet _fwump_.

The sound shook Sora's nerves, suddenly, shedding a new light of reality on the situation like the flare of a lightning strike. He looked up imploringly, gripping Riku's shoulders, his hands trembling as if reflecting the rapid beat of his heart. "Ri-Riku…"

Riku looked coolly back at Sora (a façade, surely, hiding the emotions fluttering inside of his body like a host of butterflies), straddling the brunet's waist, and completely bared before his eyes. Maybe it was just the natural flush of activity that made Riku's face a little pink, but Riku was a vampire, and Sora suspected that vampires didn't flush like humans did when worked up. Was Riku blushing? Sora's fingers tightened around Riku's shoulders before sliding down his arms and landing on Riku's naked waist. The brunet's chest rose and fell with his deep breaths, his heart cadencing anxiously, and heat spreading like wildfire through his body, pooling around one southern region especially. The swell of doubt in Sora's mind calmed again, once and for all. As if on cue, Riku leaned forward and initiated a long, hot, wet, hungry kiss.

Riku's fingers inched down between them, searching for the waist of Sora's pants, tugging on them beseechingly. Sora broke the kiss, grudgingly, and held Riku's face in his hands. A wordless exchange passed between them, summer-sky blue to ocean aquamarine and back again, and then Sora tentatively lifted his hips, breathing heavily. Riku slid them over the brunet's narrow waist, and Sora helpfully kicked them the rest of the way off. The were soon forgotten entirely in lieu of…

"Ahh…ah! Ri-Ri_ku_…!" Sora arched a little as Riku's fingers brushed the sensitive skin beneath his navel, continuing lower in an increasingly slow manner. Riku kissed Sora's neck, his other hand skating over Sora's chest and teasing the nearest nipple. Sora's face reddened further, his eyes fluttering.

Riku looked up, his hands stilling. Sora glanced down at him, looking almost alarmed. "Wh-Why…?" _Why did you stop?_

Riku shook his head and reached up to place his fingers on Sora's lips. "Shh… we can't let anyone hear us," he whispered.

Sora's racing and mostly incoherent thoughts all slowed to a unanimous stop. His eyes widened slightly. "We… We can't… oh…" The thought of someone hearing them and walking in… his heart throbbed painfully with just the imagery that the idea called up. Sora nodded at Riku, biting his lower lip. He threaded his fingers through Riku's hair and silently urged him to continue.

Riku kissed Sora's navel, and Sora somehow managed only fevered breathing through his barely parted lips, keeping his voice silent. No matter how much it struggled to be set free.

Riku glanced at Sora briefly, a flicker of blue-green eyes, before wetting his lips and going down on Sora's now hardened member.

Sora nearly choked on the cry that tried to leap from his throat. His spine bowed entreatingly, his hips jerking, his eyes shut tightly. "_Ri-Riku!_" he gasped, shooting stars flying across the blackness of his closed lids. Riku gripped Sora's waist and pinned his hips to the feather mattress, sucking upwards and teasing Sora's erection with his tongue. Sora whimpered and brought his hand to his mouth, biting on his finger to keep from moaning. It just barely did the trick.

Riku stroked Sora's hip with his thumb (Sora's skin like velvet under his touch), his mind and senses slipping from the vice of his control. It almost scared him, as a creature that was accustomed to having near-absolute control over himself and his surroundings. He could read minds, he could command and bend and blend into the shadows, travel around the planet as quickly as light could travel though the air, and his life would probably last to the end of days. And yet, all of the years he'd lived thus far were forgotten, all time condensed into that room, into that second, and into the next, and the next. It was condensed into the breathless sounds falling unbidden from Sora's lips, into the moonlight spilled across the windowsill across the bed across the floor, into the heat and blood and pulse of Sora's so _alive _being, into everything into nothing at all it was all just

"Riku! Ahh… ah-hah… oh, _Riku_…"

He loved the way his name sounded on Sora's tongue. Like something holy. Something he wasn't. Something he never would be (unless, of course, well… there was that one exemption, but the chances of that happening were little to nil). Sora's fingers were soft and yet demanding, tugging on his hair. Riku could feel the muscles in Sora's body tightening, his cries getting more vocal (despite their resolutions to keep quiet), his hips moving regardless of Riku's hold on him. Riku sucked harder, making Sora gasp, and then there was a moment where time seemed to completely stand still, everything swept up into an impenetrable vacuum. Sora arched farther off the bed than he would have thought possible, and then time exploded in a swirl of light and ecstasy (and if this was anything like Heaven then Riku must have been an angel; there was no way he could be a demon, no demon could make him feel _this good_) and then it all

settled. Like dust on the gossamer wings of a butterfly. Like the morning dew on ripples of lush, verdant grass. Like the ocean waves after a storm. Sora, not really of his own accord, melted into the mattress, his muscles feeling more liquidated than he ever imagined they could feel. His heart began to slow its drum-roll, his breathing trying again to even. Riku hovered over him, one elbow propped beside Sora, his other hand wiping something from his chin. Sora blinked dazedly. Riku smiled, licking his lips. He leaned down and kissed Sora, softly, delicately, tenderly, and when he pulled back Sora was making a rather entertaining face.

"Ew," he murmured.

"You don't like the taste?" Riku laughed quietly. "I think it's delicious. I just hope it won't upset my stomach…"

"Hmmm?"

"Nothing." Riku kissed Sora again, chastely. "Ready for the rest?" he asked.

Sora's eyes brightened. "There's more?"

Riku found himself laughing again. "If you want."

Sora leaned up and pulled Riku's face towards his (his muscles miraculously rejuvenating), kissing him ardently despite the taste. "More please," he whispered across Riku's lips. Riku looked at Sora with something that was a mix of wonder and affection and awe and adoration. It made Sora melt inside.

"Okay," Riku replied softly. He gave Sora a last kiss, and then pulled away only to put his own fingers between his lips. Sora adopted an expression of mild confusion. Riku smiled around the digits in his mouth, wetting them. He eased Sora back with his other hand, taking his fingers and sliding them slickly along Sora's stomach, around his hips, and down a little. Sora held Riku's shoulders, and then gasped when he felt one of Riku's fingers _push inside of him_.

"R-Riku? What are you…?" His voice wavered. Riku kissed his cheek, holding the side of Sora's face.

"Relax," he murmured. "I promise it will feel good, just some pain in the beginning."

"P-Pain?"

Riku nodded, nuzzling Sora's neck. "I don't mean to hurt you…"

Sora swallowed, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. He wriggled a little as Riku's finger probed the tight channel of his behind. It was a little…weird. Sora didn't know what to make of it yet.

"If you want me to stop," Riku said, "just tell me. I promise I will. No matter what."

Sora nodded, closing his eyes and trying to relax. It was made a little more difficult as Riku pressed another finger into him. Slowly, Riku pushed his fingers in and pulled them out, in, out, in, out, in, out. And then there were three. Three? Sora winced, writhing slightly. His breath had started to pick up again, his heart quickening. Heat began to crawl beneath his skin, slinking, creeping, teasing. "Riku…"

"Shh…" Riku pressed his lips against Sora's, licking them affectionately. Sora leaned up into the kiss and wrapped his arms around Riku's neck, and just as he was getting used to the feeling of something invading somewhere he'd never once thought invade-able, Riku's fingers were gone. Sora opened his eyes, his lashes ghosting over Riku's cheek, and then Riku was nudging his legs further apart, settling between them, wrapping Sora's legs around his waist, and then—

"Ah!" Sora's spine arched, pain shooting up his backside. Oh, did it _hurt. _"R-Riku… wai…wait…"

Riku stilled, his chest rising and falling with quick, anxious breaths, his muscles trembling. "Are… Are you okay, Sora?"

Sora panted unsteadily, his fingers digging little crescent-moons into Riku's shoulders. The pain barely registered with the vampire. "I…" Sora gasped, tightening his legs around Riku's waist and inadvertently pushing Riku in a little more. Riku choked on his breath, trying to keep himself under control.

"Sora… oh, Sora, I…" He what? He didn't even know. "Are you okay?" he asked again.

There was a pause. The pain began to ebb slightly. Sora nodded tentatively, easing his grip on Riku's shoulders. Riku let out a breath of relief and thrust his hips forward a little. Sora let out a small cry. There was pain, yes, but something else…something sweeter. Something much more pleasant. Something… something…

"Riku," Sora murmured, pulling Riku a little closer. "Riku…I think… I like it…"

Riku chuckled shortly and smiled. "That's… really great... Dammit, Sora, do you know how _good _you feel?"

Sora couldn't help but feel a strike of pride. He didn't know what he'd done, exactly, but Riku was happy. Riku was happy because of him. And the pain was beginning to recede to the background of his thoughts, of little importance anymore. "I… ah, Riku…" Sora's eyes fell shut, his hips pushing forward a little, wanting more of whatever this new sensation was. It was nice, and it was different, and it was Riku.

Riku pulled back out, steadying himself, and Sora whimpered slightly at the emptiness that swept over him. But then Riku was back in, and Sora mewled, lacing his arms around Riku's neck and pulling him close. Riku set a pace, slow and sensuous and soon it was entirely _too _slow and Sora was urging him faster. Riku happily obliged. They kept their voices as low as they could, Sora again resorting to biting his hand to stifle his gasps and cries. Riku displayed a little more control…for the most part.

"Ahh… _Riku_…! Riku, _please!_" Sora had no idea what he was begging for, but he knew that whatever it was, Riku would give it to him.

Riku pulled out and shifted his hips, thrusting back in harder and deeper than before and Sora jerked, barely managing to suppress the scream trying to wretch itself from his lips. It came out strangled, a choked cry that sounded like Riku's name. Riku smiled through his panting and repeated the action, hitting that one spot again. Sora reached down and fisted the sheets, pushing his hips into Riku's to try to get more of whatever it was that was unfurling shoots of euphoria through his body and exploding hot white streaks behind his closed eyes. "Ri…Riku…" Sora's voice trembled. "Again… please…" Sweat beaded his skin, matting his chestnut bangs to his forehead, glittering on his face and neck and chest and Riku was enthralled by it.

Riku continued to thrust, hitting Sora's prostate every time, tears collecting at the corners of Sora's clenched eyes (and there was sure to be a nasty red mark on his hand tomorrow from how hard he was biting it). Sora's breath was ragged and harsh and his chest rose and fell like undulating ocean waves, and Riku found himself in a very similar state. The wind whispered past the window, some trickling inside and ghosting over the two on the bed. They couldn't feel it; there was surely nothing but heat. Pleasant, ensconcing, euphoric heat, heat and bliss and euphoria and rapture, as if everything good in the world had been spooled on a golden spindle, speared through their hearts.

And they were together. Always together.

Sora's spine bowed far off the bed, his teeth sinking into the soft flesh of his hand as he stifled his scream. _RIKU! _Riku heard it anyway. Sora tightened around him, giving Riku the small and final push he needed to come toppling over the edge, as well. Their surroundings swelled and burst and came raining down on them in a shower of light; the night was obliterated, the very world itself was obliterated, nothing existed except themselves and each other and it felt _so good _and they never wanted it to end, but it did.

The night swirled back in on them, the ambient sounds of the wind batting against the castle, the trees swaying in the breeze—and on the breeze rode the scent of blood and smoke, though neither of the boys could smell it, what with their senses so currently frazzled and dazed.

Riku collapsed on top of Sora, breathing heavily, Sora doing the same. There was a sticky mess between them, sweat and everything else, but neither cared, nor had the capacity, then, to care even if they'd so desired. Riku closed his eyes, breathing in the scent that now encompassed his being, the scent that was uniquely Sora, beautiful and chaste and perfect in every way shape and form. His wandering fingers found a matted brown spike and began to tug absently on it, his face nuzzling the crook of Sora's neck. Sora stroked Riku's head, pulling his fingers through Riku's tangled, soft, silver tresses. The moon continued to shine in through the window, bathing them, and the wind ghosted over their heated, sweat-stained skin, raising goosebumps. Tacitly, they wriggled under the covers, and cuddled close together, seeking to hang onto their warmth and each other.

Riku kissed Sora again, long and sweet and yearning. Sora received it gladly, linking his arms around Riku's neck. "I love you," Riku murmured, brushing his fingers through Sora's bangs.

Sora rubbed his nose against Riku's. "I love you, too." The breeze carried their words away, and somewhere an angel smiled.

They nestled back into each other, and soon they'd drifted off to sleep. When Sora awoke in the morning, Riku was gone.

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**A/N: **dotdotdot COMMENTS? Pleeeaase review! Sorry again for the late update! And I hope to be getting the next chapter up soon... that is, of course, after I write it. Ehehehehe...

Ah, and the Bible verses that Cloud was quoting are as follows:

_Leviticus 20:13  
_

_Romans 1:27_

_First Corinthians 6:9-10_

Love you all! Ja!

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	17. Chapter the Seventeenth

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

**A/N: **Merry Christmas everyone! ... Yeah, it's a little late to be saying that, I know. I really tried to get this chapter out before Christmas, but things just got too hectic... they're still hectic. But here is the update! Thanks for being patient and sticking with this story, even through it's recent slow updating pattern. Sorry again about that! I really don't like taking so long to update, and I used to hate it when authors did that, but lately I'm finding that sometimes it can't be helped. sigh.

Anyway, I do not own the lyrics to **Killing Loneliness **by **H.I.M.**, and I suggest that everyone go listen to it if they haven't already! You can find it here:

**http(colon, slash, slash)youtube(dot)com(slash)watch?v(equals)z-DBC2BdqKY**

Watch and adore, my beautiful readers!

And now, on with the chapter.

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"Sora!"

Sora turned around, slinging his kendo bag over his shoulder. A smile stretched his lips. "Roxas!"

The blonde caught up with Sora, his face still flushed from practice and his hair just beginning to right itself again, previously matted down with sweat. "Hey." He smirked. "Nice match."

Sora rolled his eyes and continued to walk away, towards home.

"Aw, don't be bitter," Roxas followed him, "just because I kicked your ass."

"I wasn't paying attention," Sora rushed to his own defense. "I've had a lot on my mind lately." His frown melted from his expression, and he added, "Oh, which reminds me. Do you know, eh, someone named Axel?"

Roxas's face suddenly hardened, and Sora started. "No," he said tersely, and sped up his pace, walking away from Sora.

Sora looked concerned, coming into step beside his friend. "…Are you _sure_?"

"Absolutely." Roxas seemed adamant on killing the topic of Axel, but Sora want the story. What exactly _had _happened between them?

"Roxas, I met him the other night."

"That's nice," Roxas replied. "I don't know who he is, so I don't know why you're bothering to carry on this conversation." The blonde continued on his way, walking a little faster and with a slight bite in his step. Each footfall seemed to berate the ground, as if it were at fault for making Roxas angry.

Sora began to panic, not wanting to further irritate his friend but at the same time wanting to know the truth. His curiosity needed to be sated! And yes, he was a little concerned for Roxas's well-being. Whatever had happened with Axel had obviously not been pretty; Sora could practically see the dark clouds stewing over Roxas's head. And… Roxas was still walking away. Farther and farther…and farther… "Roxas!" Still walking. "I have a boyfriend!" Sora blurted.

And the blonde came to a sudden halt, his shoulders rigid. He turned and looked at Sora, eyes narrowed to slits of ice-blue and with a frostiness to match. "Excuse me?"

Sora caught up to Roxas, hiking his kendo bag's strap further up his shoulder nervously. "I have a boyfriend," he repeated, averting his gaze.

"Ex_cuse_ me! Am I hearing you right?" Icicles became ice saucers as Roxas's eyes widened. And then disbelief gave way to suspicion. "Sora, if you're trying to trick me into telling you—"

"No," Sora hurried to explain, "I have a boyfriend. His name's Riku. He—"

"Since when!" Roxas demanded, turning to completely face his friend.

"About a month now," Sora told him, fidgeting uneasily.

Roxas was quiet for a moment, his expression guarded. Sora could almost hear the gears turning in his head, trying to rationalize this revelation. Finally, he spoke. "You're gay?"

Sora paused, himself wondering. _Am I? _"No… I don't think so… not exactly…"

"What do you mean, not exactly? Bi, then?"

Sora scratched the back of his head; his fingers felt a knot in his hair, brought about by his sparring helmet and sweat. He didn't feel particularly comfortable with labeling himself. "I guess…"

More silence, more guarded expression. For the first time since the beginning of their conversation, Sora feared Roxas rejecting him, not accepting his newfound, albeit vague, sexuality. He hadn't really ever considered anyone rejecting him before; not with Kairi, nor Naminé, nor even his parents. Of course, Riku had had plenty of fear for the both of them when it came to his parents, but nevertheless, he would have been willing to spill everything to them. After all, he was still Sora, regardless of whether he had a girl on his arm or a boy.

"Why are you telling me this now?" Roxas said suddenly.

Sora blinked, unsure if he should interpret the remark as "Why did it take you so long to tell me?" or as "Why are you telling me at all?" Maybe Roxas was going to reject him, and was wishing that Sora had never confided in him. "I want…" Sora sighed, running his hand through his hair, fingers snagging on another knot. "I want you to be honest with me, and how can I expect you to be honest with me when I'm not entirely honest with you? Granted, it's not that I didn't want to tell you, it just never came up, and you know—"

Roxas raised a hand to silence the brunet, an amused smile quirking his lips. A good sign, surely. "Sora…" He shook his head, looking to the sky. The sun was setting; they weren't far from their homes, which weren't far from each other, nor far from the shore. The sunset was always so beautiful over the ocean. "Are you even real?"

Sora frowned, confused. "Come again?"

"How can anyone be as completely pure as you are?" Roxas tried again, turning to look at Sora. "You're so trusting, so innocent… You'd probably volunteer to save the world if someone threw you a sword and told you people needed your help. Come on," Roxas started heading for home again, this time more relaxed, "tell me about your boyfriend."

Sora grinned, falling into step beside Roxas. "First, you have to tell me about Axel. It's a fair trade, don't you think?"

Roxas's easy demeanor began to falter again, and he looked suddenly sad. Even so, he acquiesced. "All right, yeah." The blonde fidgeted with the strap of his kendo bag, looking at the ground as they walked. "Axel used to work for my mom, you know, at Twilight Music."

Sora nodded. Roxas's mother owned one of the most popular music stores on the island, Twilight Music. His father helped run the business on the side, but mostly devoted his time to his veterinary practice. It was a wonder the two of them ever came together—and adopted a son, no less—being almost completely different people. Roxas had never known his biological parents; he'd been adopted by his "parents" as a baby from the local orphanage. Roxas had never wanted to know about his biological parents, being completely content with the family he had. If ever asked about it, he'd return with "Why should I go looking for them when I couldn't ask for better parents than I already have?" and would always add something about how they must not have been very good people to abandon their baby, anyway.

Roxas continued his story, saying, "You know how I would always hang around the store after school and stuff? Do my homework in the back room, help the employees do little things…"

Sora nodded again, smiling. "Yeah, I used to come by and hang out with you."

Roxas smiled a little, too. "Mhm. Well, Axel would always be there. He was really nice to me, always spending time with me when no one else would. We'd look at the customers that came in and whisper mean things about them to each other, and share a big laugh over it. Axel liked to play with this lighter, always flicking it and staring at the flame, and I'd warn him when my mother was around so he wouldn't get caught. It was all like a game. This was two years ago… I was around fourteen, I guess. We talked a lot. I never thought we were anything more than friends, and I guess…well, I don't think he thought any differently in the beginning, either." Roxas kicked a pebble aside, listening to it clack down the pavement and roll into a nearby gutter. The sun was lower now, and the sky was red and orange. Beyond the row of houses they were walking alongside, they could hear the ocean and seagulls.

"But then one day, he was taking his break in the back room and helping me with my homework. My mom had gone to run a few errands, leaving this girl named Larxene in charge. We were the only ones back there right then, and suddenly, he just… kissed me." Roxas paused, his face turning a little red. "I freaked out, pushed him away and started yelling at him. I don't think I was making any sense with what I was saying, but I don't think it mattered. Axel took my shoulders and told me to calm down and that he was sorry, and he looked so sad and scared that I just couldn't speak anymore. Larxene came in, and Axel just smiled at her and said that Math was a very frustrating subject for me. She looked suspicious, but left us alone again. And I was terrified. I was preparing to run, but Axel didn't look like he was going to try anything else. If anything, he looked like he was about to cry.

"I asked him why, and he spilled everything. He told me he liked me, even went as far as to say that he was in love with me. I couldn't believe it. I called him a pervert and a liar and told him that if he didn't quit his job I was going to charge him with sexual harassment of a minor, or some other such bullshit. I knew I wouldn't really do that, not to Axel, but he quit the next day, and I never saw him again." Roxas stopped; they'd reached his house. He glanced up at it, then back at Sora, continuing, "I think the reason I got so scared wasn't because he had feelings for me, but because… I felt the same way about him. I didn't want to, though. He's a guy, and he's, fuck, seven years older than me! Things just…aren't supposed to happen like that. Right?" The blonde looked to Sora for confirmation.

Sora's eyebrows rose, and he averted his gaze. "Well, I guess…" He bit his lip, then shook his head. "No, Roxas, you're asking the wrong person. I mean, my boyfriend's a vampire—"

"What!" Roxas's eyes widened. "Say that again?"

Sora sighed. "Riku's a vampire. Like, an actual vampire, with fangs and magical powers and all that. He lives off the blood of farm animals."

Roxas shook his head. "You're kidding, right?"

Sora shook his head, too. "No. I'm totally serious."

"Sora, you're crazy! There's no way that—"

"I could be a vampire?"

"Shit!" Roxas jumped at the voice that came from behind him, whispering in his ear. He spun around, reeling backwards and bumping into Sora. "The fuck! Who the hell are you?"

Sora steadied Roxas and stepped around him to Riku, taking the vampire's hand. "He's Riku. Riku, this is—"

"I know who he is."

Sora frowned, looking up at Riku. Why was his voice so cold?

Roxas just stared at them, totally incredulous. "Where the hell did you _come _from?"

"I told you," Sora replied, "he's a vampire. He can do all sorts of weird things, like shifting from place to place. It's really cool." He smiled proudly. Glancing up at his boyfriend, he asked, "How did you know where I was?"

Riku grinned teasingly, baring his fangs. "Like you said, I can do all sorts of weird things. Magical powers, and all that."

Roxas shook his head. "This is too weird. How did you even meet him?"

"I found him," Riku supplied. "I hunted him down." He shuddered at the irony of his words.

"Why? Why Sora?"

"Because he's mine," Riku said, as if it were obvious. When Roxas continued to look confused (and who wouldn't, with a completely unhelpful explanation like that?), Riku elaborated, "He was my lover back in five-hundred A.D. You know, the medieval times. He was reincarnated, and I hunted him down, and now I have him again." Riku smiled, kissing the back of Sora's neck. Sora blushed and nudged him away.

Roxas continued to gape. "This is too weird," he said again. "I'm going to go… My mom's probably made dinner already." He started to go inside.

"Wait! Roxas, about Axel… There's nothing wrong with it." Sora came up beside Roxas, putting a hand on his shoulder. "If you really like him, then you shouldn't be afraid. He cares about you… I think."

Roxas was quiet for a minute. Then, he asked in a rugged almost-whisper, "How do you know he still feels that way?"

"Because, when I met him the other night, he told me so. He works at that teen club, Abyss… He's crazy about you."

"Yeah," Riku scoffed, "literally."

"Riku." Sora's tone was a warning. To Roxas, he said more gently, "If you want to see him, I'll go with you sometime."

Roxas put his hand on the doorknob, contemplating. "Yeah, I'll think about it. Thanks, Sora," he said quietly. He gave the brunet a weak smile and then disappeared, closing the door behind himself.

Sora stared worriedly at the door for a moment before turning and moving back towards Riku. Riku wrapped his arms around the boy and kissed him, softly and slowly. Sora melted into it for a minute, and then pulled away and continued towards home. Riku followed, falling into step beside Sora.

"You don't like them very much, do you?" Sora asked.

"Who?"

"Axel and Roxas."

Riku shoved his hands into his jeans' pockets. "No, I can't say I do."

"Why?"

Riku shrugged, looking to the side of the road. "Nothing to concern yourself with."

Sora frowned, pressing his lips together. "If it's something that upsets you, then of course I should concern myself with it. I don't want you to be upset."

Riku sighed. "Sora… I didn't mean it like that. I just don't want to talk about it."

Sora sighed, too. "All right. I won't make you tell me."

_Though he probably very well could_, Riku noted bitterly. _He has more leverage over me than he knows. Dammit, this wasn't supposed to happen. _

"Will I see you later?"

"Huh?" Riku looked up; they'd arrived at Sora's house. Sora was standing at the front door, about to go inside.

"Will I see you later?" Sora repeated.

Riku smiled, nodding. "Of course. I'll be by soon."

Sora's face brightened. "When?"

Riku was at Sora's side in a heartbeat, and held him close. He kissed him lightly, whispering across his lips, "It'll be a surprise."

Sora shivered and nodded, his face turning a little pink. And then Riku was gone, and Sora went inside, greeted by the savory smells of his mother's cooking.

000

Sora lay on his bed that night, his headphones in his ears and his CD player whirring. A heartbroken melody filtered through the buds into his head, and his foot tapped in the air to the beat. His hands were tucked behind his head, knees bent and one leg crossed over the other. His eyes were fixed on his window, on the moonlight-bleached world outside, even while his thoughts were turned inward.

_Memories sharp as daggers, pierce into the flesh of today.  
The suicide of love took away all that matters,  
And buried the remains in an unmarked grave in your heart…_

Sora both loved and feared the night. The night was quiet, peaceful, gave him time to himself. It also gave him quality time with his own thoughts, and sometimes his thoughts were disheartening, sometimes fantastical, sometimes insane. The nighttime had that effect on most people, he assumed. Everything just seemed so different after the sun went down; while it was thought to be a realm of deception and seduction, honesty just seemed to thrive. But, really, it was never the good kind of honesty, the honesty that made you feel appreciative and satisfied. It was the painful honesty, the truths you'd rather not face, the truths that laid hidden in your mind while the sun was up to keep them buried. At night, some things were said that were better left unsaid, some secrets were revealed, sometimes aloud for other ears, sometimes only in one's own mind.

_With the venomous kiss you gave me, I'm killing loneliness (killing loneliness),  
With the warmth of your arms, you saved me, oh, I'm killing loneliness with you.  
The killing loneliness that turned my heart into a tomb. I'm killing loneliness…! _

The night sometimes made Sora too aware of himself, too aware of his individual being, too aware of how painful it was to feel so solitary, to feel so belonging solely to oneself. Sometimes he would think that life would be better if people didn't have to belong to themselves, that it would be better if part of them belonged to someone else. He supposed that that was what love was, the feeling of belonging to someone else, at least partly. And not the platonic, friendship kind of love, but the romantic, all-consuming kind of love. And when you found that person, you could spend every night with them, and you wouldn't have to feel so isolated. So…alone? Maybe that was the word.

_Nailed to the cross together, as solitude begs us to stay. We disappear in the lie forever,  
And denounce the power of death over our souls and secret words are said to start a war…_

That night, Sora's thoughts looped from love straight to Riku. Why wouldn't Riku confide in him? Why wouldn't Riku clue him in on the past? Obviously something, something awful had happened. He could tell…there were moments when Riku seemed to exude this vengeful, hateful air that quite frankly scared the hell out of Sora. Or maybe it scared the hell into Sora. That made more sense; how could scaring the hell _out of _someone be a bad thing? No, when Sora got scared like this, it was like hell sprouting within him. Sora felt it whenever he saw Riku like that, like when he spoke of the Vampire Hunters or of…well, just the past in general. There was something wrong, something terribly wrong. And it hurt…

_With the venomous kiss you gave me, I'm killing loneliness (killing loneliness),_

It hurt to know that Riku wouldn't let Sora help him.

_With the warmth of your arms, you saved me, oh, I'm killing loneliness with you.  
The killing loneliness that turned my heart into a tomb. I'm killing loneliness…!_

If Riku would only share the pains of his past with him, things would be better for him. They had to be. It had to hurt so much to have to carry so much all by yourself… Sora's heart ached at the thought of Riku suffering like that. And by his own doing! Sora had offered, Sora had begged with him to let him in, to let him into the past that he himself had supposedly been a part of! He needed to help Riku; he'd find a way, he knew.

I'm killing loneliness!

With the venomous kiss you gave me, I'm killing loneliness (killing loneliness),  
With the warmth of your arms, you saved me, oh, I'm killing loneliness with you.  
The killing loneliness that turned my heart into a tomb. I'm killing loneliness…!

_I'm killing loneliness with you._

He had to find a way. If he didn't… Sora didn't know what he'd do.

_I'm killing loneliness with you._

_Killing loneliness with you!_

Riku was so important to him now, more important than he'd ever imagined someone he'd barely known for a month could be. He supposed that that was all the proof he needed to know that Riku was telling the truth, with his stories of the medieval times and reincarnation… knights and lords and ladies and chivalry… all of the stuff they read about in their History books—and Sora had been a part of it! Just that slight deviation of thought made Sora smile, only a little. But then he was right back to his dilemma.

_Those who don't know the past are doomed to repeat it_, he thought. He felt vulnerable, vulnerable to making past mistakes and not knowing it. Vulnerable to hurting Riku.

He couldn't do that, he couldn't hurt Riku. For some reason…

_Killing loneliness…_

He imagined that he'd want to die if he did.

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**A/N: **Eh, it was a little shorter than I would have liked, but I have to plan everything perfectly now, with unraveling the end of the story. Most of the action will be happening in 506 A.D. for the next few chapters, and then finally the grand finale! I hope you'll all enjoy. :D

Anyway, review please!

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	18. Chapter the Eighteenth

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

**A/N: **Wow! Oh man, oh man, I'm so proud of myself! Right after posting chapter 17, I went back to Word and started the next one... and I just kept writing and writing and couldn't stop and now here's chapter 18:D Yatta! I am really wowed by myself... If this chapter seems a little off, keep in mind that it was written from 2 to 3 o'clock in the morning. o.o I am going to be so tired tomorrow.. and I have a 5 hour-long car ride to NY... during which I will be doing all of the homework that our teachers were kind enough to dump on us for winter break. -**dies**-

Anyway, I have another music video to share with y'all, one of my favorite KH vids... and this song, **My Heart Will Go On **by Celine Dion, is honest-to-God the theme song for this story. Every time I listen to it, I can just picture this story rolling out scene by scene... the perfect melody, the perfect message, with the beautiful dramatic climax at the end... you must all listen to it (not that you probably haven't already heard it before, but still)! Tell me what you think... please! I love relating music to literature and vice-versa (they are my two loves, after all), so if ever you find a song that you think fits this story, or any story for that matter, feel free to share with me!

**http(colon, slash, slash)www(dot)youtube(dot)com(slash)watch?v(equals)TuQRzWJq9SY**

Anyway, on with the story!

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**.506 AD.**

Cloud wasn't one to become suspicious of his brother very often. On the contrary, he put a lot of trust in Sora and never pegged him as the one at fault, ever. Really, Sora was sometimes too…good…for his own good.

Sora came to breakfast that morning with a sort of broken gait. Cloud noticed it; he didn't think his parents did. Sora wheedled his way out of sparring practice that afternoon, complaining about a headache. He was never moving too much, and whenever Cloud saw him sit down, he noticed a twitch in Sora's expression that he took as a wince.

It didn't take Cloud long to figure it out.

It was late afternoon when Cloud pulled his younger sibling aside, sitting him down on a bench in the corridor surrounding the courtyard. Even then, Sora winced, but it seemed more forcefully suppressed. Cloud frowned.

"Sora…" he began. He knew there was no way to make this conversation casual and not awkward. "Are you all right?"

Sora looked at Cloud with round blue eyes. "Of course I am. Why?"

Cloud pressed his lips together. This blatant lie only further cemented his suspicions. "You seemed to be…limping…today," he said, choosing his words carefully.

Sora's face colored a little. "L-Limping?"

Cloud smiled a little in amusement. Like himself, Sora couldn't help but stutter when he lied. However, whereas Cloud could never lie without stuttering, Sora could sometimes get keep an even tone. "Yes, you know, you were walking strangely. Are you sure you're okay?"

Sora nodded, turning his face away and hiding his eyes with his bangs. "I'm fine."

"Sora, did you do something last night?"

The brunet looked up sharply, his eyes widening. "Something…like what?"

"Like…" Cloud floundered for the right words. Oh, this was so awkward! Really, the only reason that he held these suspicions was the fact that he himself had been in the same state not too long ago, after his night with Squall. He inwardly scowled at the memory, while at the same time a sad chord struck his heart. But he remembered the pain in his backside whenever he moved, the difficulty he had walking with his normal proud stride, the sting he felt whenever he sat down. "Like… were you with anyone last night?"

"What do you mean?"

Argh… why did Sora have to play innocent? He must have known very well what Cloud was talking about! Cloud looked his brother square in the eye, blue matching blue, and said with a hushed tone, "Did you have sex with a boy last night?"

Sora "eep"ed and looked away, hiding his burning face with his hands.

"Sora…" That was all the confirmation Cloud needed. "Sora, it's okay, I won't tell anyone. I just want to know…"

"Why?" Sora asked, his voice muffled by his palms.

"Because…" Cloud blinked. Why did he want to know? Surely it couldn't have only been out of concern for his brother, or frank curiosity, but…he didn't want to feel alone. Yes, that was it. "Because I did the same thing a while ago."

Sora's face was suddenly turned back to him, cheeks a little less red and eyes even wider, eyebrows raised for an added effect. "You did?"

Cloud fidgeted nervously. "Yes, I did." He would have added "against my will," but he didn't want to make Squall out to be a rapist… and on top of that, some part of him wouldn't let himself believe that was true. Squall had told him he'd asked for it, and in his fit of shame and despair he'd denied it completely. He'd started spewing Bible verses, for God's sake! Sure, he practically knew the Bible like the back of his hand, but did he really believe in it all? He couldn't vouch for that. He believed in God, certainly, in Heaven and Hell and eternal Salvation, but much of the Bible seemed to him more like a myth than anything else. He believed in the battlefield, in God's protection and support in battle, in the truth that brave and honest warriors would one day join the Lord in Paradise, in the fact that there was no better way to die than by an enemy's blade, to go down in a flame of glory. But everything else? He couldn't quite say that he believed in it. It had been only a defense, a rationalization for the despair he'd felt waking up next to Squall and knowing what they'd done the night before. Really, deep down, he hadn't been so upset that he'd had sex with Squall…he'd only felt that it was wrong. It had to be wrong, if the very notion of it felt so right. Life surely wasn't that easy.

"With who?" Sora quickly clamped his hand over his mouth, his blush returning full force. "I'm sorry," he said, dropping his hand. "I don't mean to pry…"

Cloud waved his hand dismissively. "It's okay. It was with…someone I actually barely know. And you?"

Sora looked at the empty air across from them. "Riku," he murmured.

Cloud's heart pounded nervously. "Riku? That vampire from the feast?"

Sora nodded, his eyes turning down at his lap. "Yeah. Are you mad?"

Cloud shook his head. "Of course not. I'm more concerned… Sora, you can't let it happen again. If you get caught…" He didn't even want to finish that thought, shutting his eyes against the possibility.

"I know," Sora said softly. "Cloud, I'm scared. I… I love him. Is that wrong?"

"Never," Cloud replied, taking one of Sora's hands in his. "Love is never wrong."

"Even though he's a boy? Even though he's a vampire?"

"Sora… this vampire business… it's nonsense. The Vampire Hunters are a family legacy, not a way of life that every member it's passed down to is doomed to follow." Cloud looked down at Sora, and suddenly realized… "But you know that, don't you."

Sora nodded. "I'm just… I'm afraid for him, for myself, for all of us."

Cloud nodded, putting his arm around Sora's shoulder and pulling him close. "I am, too. Sora, don't worry, we'll all get through this together. All right? Never lose faith in that. I'll always be here for you."

"Really?"

Cloud smiled softly. "Of course."

He'd never know how he managed the keep the stutter out of his voice.

000

Despite Cloud's warning, Riku visited Sora many a night afterwards. And every night was magical. Passionate, beautiful, fragile, and savored. They were never caught, and each morning Sora awoke alone, but with the impression of Riku beside him, the smell of Riku still there. It was enough; really, he knew he shouldn't have anything at all. Riku shouldn't come to see him as often as he did; he was putting them both in danger, and so was Sora, by never turning Riku away. But each night that they were together, nothing could stop them.

The castle was growing restless, but Sora failed to notice. His mother and father and cousins were all on edge. How could they not be? Even if Riku was never caught, with the frequency of his visits, his aura was making an impression on the castle. The defenses that had been relaxing over the past few months began to stabilize again—weapons were prepared, stakes and other assorted instruments of vampire destruction were held at the ready. Everyone carried them on their person at all times.

Leon, too, frequented the castle grounds. He would sometimes perch on a gargoyle and watch Cloud in the courtyard while he practiced, or would slip into his room at night and watch him sleep. Something was growing, some feeling he held towards Cloud. It was growing quickly, and against his will, and he would have done anything he could to stop it. Or maybe he wouldn't… he wasn't sure. He just wished he could do something to gain back Cloud's trust, to have one more chance with him… but he would never risk it.

Until, of course, Cloud woke up one night in a fit of rasping coughs, trembling and whimpering. Leon was hidden in the shadows, but immediately rushed the Cloud's aid. Cloud nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Leon at his bedside, but didn't push the brunet away when Leon handed him the pitcher of water on his nightstand and helped him drink it. Cloud calmed down, his coughing fit slowly subsiding, and returned the water to its place beside his bed. When he put his hands in his lap, refusing to look at Leon, something frightening caught his eye.

"Blood…" he murmured, horrified. There was blood on his hands. And he could taste it in his mouth, on his lips. His eyes started to sting, and his trembling worsened. Though he'd been trying to deny the fact ever since learning of his illness, there was no denying it now: he was dying.

"No," Leon whispered, taking Cloud's hands and wiping the blood off with the hem of his tunic. He ignored the demanding impulse to lap it up, hunger beginning to claw at his stomach from the mere smell of the blood. "You're not dying," he said, looking into Cloud's eyes. The blonde met his gaze timidly. "You can't die."

"I… I am," Cloud murmured. "This is exactly what happened to Uncle before he died… he started coughing up blood… I feel it," he said, drawing his hands away from Leon's to his chest. "I can feel it, somewhere inside of me. I feel sick, internally. I feel contaminated. I feel like… I don't even know what!" Tears bit at his eyes again, and he pulled his knees to his chest, hiding his face. He started to cry.

Leon felt like he was going to start, too. He sat beside Cloud on the bed and held him, holding him close. "Cloud, shh…" he crooned. He kissed Cloud's crown, rocking him slowly.

Cloud shook his head, feeling pathetic. He wasn't a child, and he sure as hell didn't need to be coddled like one! He nudged Leon away, wiping at his tears and forcing them to stop. He was barely able to quell them to wavering sniffles. "Leave me alone Squall," he demanded, his voice weak from crying. If Squall would just leave, he could sob all he wanted in peace! But he wouldn't look like a child in front of someone else; he wouldn't show anyone else his weakness.

Leon's gaze was fierce as he murmured, "Nonsense! Stop acting like this. It's okay to cry. It's okay to be afraid! You don't have to go through this alone, Cloud…"

The words were enough to break Cloud's resolve and reduce him to tears all over again. "Leave me alone!" he repeated, angrier this time. "Just get away from me!" He pushed at Leon's shoulder, trying to force him off the bed.

Leon refused to be moved, instead pushing Cloud back on the bed and holding his arms at his sides. Cloud may have been a celebrated knight, but Leon was a vampire, dammit. He wouldn't be told what to do. Cloud thrashed in his hold, but Leon stayed strong. "Cloud, please, let me help you! Why do humans always feel like they have to suffer alone? God damn it!"

Cloud gradually stilled, able to realize when resistance was useless. He turned his face away, screwing his eyes shut even as the tears continued to flow. "Squall, leave me be! I don't need your pity!"

Leon leaned down then and forced Cloud into a kiss, releasing his arms to hold the sides of the blonde's face and steer his mouth. Cloud didn't fight it, instead wrapping his arms around Leon's neck and pulling him closer. Leon sighed happily, both at the fact that Cloud was returning the kiss and at the tang of Cloud's blood in his mouth; it was the sweetest thing he'd ever tasted. Pulling back slightly, he whispered Cloud's name over his lips.

He sat up, pulling Cloud with him and back into his arms. Cloud turned his face into Leon's neck, clinging to him. "Cloud, please let me help you," Leon beseeched again.

"I'm dying," Cloud murmured. "Squall, I'm dying. I don't want to die, not like this! Can't you make it stop?" His tears were hot against Leon's neck.

Leon closed his eyes, holding Cloud tightly. "I wish I could," he whispered. "Cloud, you can't give up yet; you have to fight it! Isn't battle your forte? Have you ever surrendered a battle without a fight?"

He could hear Cloud's chuckle and feel his body shake with it, and it made Leon smile a little. "Never," he said, the tears in his voice contrasting the amusement.

"So, this is no different. If I've learned anything about humans it's that the body is amazing in its willpower to survive. You can't surrender yourself to this sickness; keep living, and keep telling yourself that you're going to live. That's the best defense you have."

Cloud was silent and still, Leon's words slowly sinking in. "Squall…" he whispered, turning his face up for another kiss. Leon happily obliged.

And then there came an insistent knock on the door, and Leon was gone in a heartbeat. Cloud couldn't help the disappointment and loneliness that swept over him then, along with anger targeted at whoever was at the door.

"Cloud?" It was his mother. "Cloud? Are you okay? I thought I heard…"

"I-I'm fine, Mother," Cloud replied, his anger vanishing. He could never bring himself to be angry at his mother. "I just had a nightmare, is all."

That wasn't exactly far from the truth; he'd had a nightmare, surely, and he was still in it, as another coughing fit took hold of him. He stifled it with his pillow, and then tossed it to the floor afterwards, disgusted by the bloodstains.

000

The rain cadenced roughly on the ground, slicking the castle stones and matting down the grass in the courtyard. Riku landed quietly on the ground under a tree, where it wasn't quite so wet. He was soaked anyway from being out in the rain earlier. He'd felt Sora calling him a moment ago, and looked around for his lover, a smile stretching his lips. Everyone else was tucked away into the castle then, he was sure, and there was little chance of getting caught.

Or so he thought.

Quickly, his senses prickled with warning. The aura he'd thought was Sora's was now revealing itself—it wasn't Sora at all, but someone very akin to Sora. Riku turned a second before a hand flew to his throat, pinning him to the tree, and he struggled with the grip. His eyes met blue ones so like Sora's, and yet so strikingly different. The face, too, was nearly identical to the brunet's as far as the features went, but Riku had yet to see such a look of hate and murderous intent on his lover's face. And the hair—the hair wasn't similar, really, at all.

This was Sora's cousin, Riku vaguely noted as the cold tip of a blade was pressed to the pulse point in his neck, right above that hand that was holding him captive. Roxas.

"What are you doing?" he gasped, pushing Roxas away. The blonde staggered backwards, panting and flushed and soaked with rainwater. He held a dagger in his hand, and at his belt was an assortment of other weapons, one of which struck Riku with a bolt of fear—a Vampire Hunter's stake.

"You've been skulking around this castle for months now!" Roxas yelled at him. "You're bewitching my cousin! You're seducing him and planning to kill him! Vampire scum!"

Riku's jaw fell slack with astonishment. "I would never—" He didn't have time to defend himself against the accusation as he was made busy defending himself from Roxas's next assault. Roxas came at him again, and Riku quickly sidestepped the blonde, trying to move as far away as possible.

Roxas rounded on him, pushing his hand off of the tree trunk to gain momentum. He pulled a rope from his belt, weighted at both ends with polished stones, and twirled it above his head before throwing it at Riku. Riku tried to escape but slipped on the slick grass and was taken down by the rope, which wound itself snugly around his legs. "Dammit!" he swore under his breath, and finally decided that he'd overstayed his welcome. He made to teleport, but was racked with a mind-numbing pain that emanated from his legs. The stones on the ends of the rope glowed blue. "_Dammit_," he hissed again, struggling to his feet. The bindings made the feat increasingly difficult, and his body was still on fire from the magickal attack.

His heart was pounding like it never had before, and for the first time since he could remember Riku was afraid for his life. Roxas could very well kill him, and Riku's natural survival instinct began to edge on his better judgment. He reached down for the rope and started to unwind it, but Roxas pounced and pinned him to the ground, pressing the blade to his throat again.

Riku began to struggle, and Roxas straddled his waist, teasing Riku's neck with his dagger while holding down one of his hands with his own. Riku was careful not to move too much, or Roxas's knife could very well slice through his throat. He didn't know if it would kill him, but he had heard of vampires dying from decapitation. He didn't care to test the theory.

Everything sort of stilled for a moment, both parties breathing heavily. Riku's heart continued to thud painfully in his chest, his body tingling with remnant prickles of pain. Roxas was heavy on top of him, and the metal was cold against his neck and the rain pouring down on them was severely blurring his vision. How had he let Roxas trap him so easily? How had he been so blind? _How had this happened? _And the only image that came to mind as he closed his eyes against the rain was Sora. He had to get out of this… if nothing else, he had to see Sora again.

Roxas was laughing now, and Riku opened his eyes slowly, carefully lifting his free hand to shield his eyes from the rain. Roxas saw no threat in the movement and didn't stop it. The blonde cautiously withdrew his hand from Riku's and reached for the stake at his belt, and Riku began to panic.

Roxas had dropped his guard; Roxas believed he had this victory in the bag. Now was Riku's chance, even with the possibility of that dagger slicing his throat. Riku moved quickly and deftly, grabbing Roxas's wrist and pulling it away from his neck. With that, he thrashed, pushing Roxas off of him, unwinding the rope and rising to his feet as Roxas gathered his bearings. Riku tried again to shift away, to disappear into the rain, but something held him back. Frantically, he opened his eyes and looked around, and only now was he noticing the glowing blue stones set at four corners around their area of the courtyard. More Vampire Hunter magick—power-limiting stones. He'd been trapped before, but until now he had no idea to what extent!

And then he was being shoved into the tree trunk, Roxas holding the stake in front of his chest. Riku gasped, his adrenaline rushing, heart pounding, head spinning, breath ragged, fangs bared and eyes wild—and grasped Roxas's hands, turning the stake right back at him. His otherworldly strength gave him just the advantage he needed to overtake the blonde and…

…push the stake right through his heart.

Roxas screamed, stumbling backwards and clutching at his own weapon used against him. He fell to his knees, his world spinning and tears flowing just before he blacked out—firstly from the pain, and secondly as death swiftly whisked him away. He collapsed to his side, blood flowing from the wound, swirling on the grass with the rain. So beautifully red. Riku approached the body, kneeling down and dipping his finger in the blood. His instincts running on high, he drew his finger to his mouth and—

"Riku!"

He dropped it back to his side, scrambling to his feet and whirling around. Sora stood there, eyes wide and filled with horror. He was looking at Roxas, bleeding and dead on the ground. Sora screamed, just as Roxas had moments before, and ran at Riku, colliding into him and pounding on his chest with his fists. "Riku!" he sobbed. "You killed him! How could you! YOU KILLED HIM!"

Riku was speechless, wrapping his arms around his thrashing lover and trying to calm him. Sora was sobbing uncontrollably, trying to beat Riku up and failing miserably. Riku barely registered the blows to his chest and shoulders and anywhere else the brunet could reach, only feeling pain in his heart. Immense and immeasurable pain—seeing Sora's tears and knowing he had caused them. It wasn't possible… how did this happen! The past few minutes were almost a blur… a blur of panic and blood.

"Sora," Riku tried to reach the brunet, "Sora, I'm sorry!"

Sora collapsed to his knees, and Riku fell with him, holding him tightly. Sora had almost no energy left, only enough to weep. He wrapped his arms around Riku's neck, crying into his shoulder, his sobs loud but lost in the drone of the rain. "Riku," he howled, "how could you! You killed him! You killed him!"

"I know, I know, I'm sorry!" Riku petted Sora's hair, pressing his face into the sodden locks, tears stinging his own eyes. He didn't know what to do; this panic that he was feeling now was so unlike the raw, primitive panic of before. It was so much fiercer, so much more frightening.

Sora wrenched himself from Riku's arms then, rising to his feet and holding his head. "Leave!" he shouted. "Get away from here!"

Riku rose unsteadily to his feet, as well, reaching for Sora. "Sora, I—"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Sora screamed, screwing his eyes shut.

Riku stepped back, eyes wide and terrified. He looked around; he could sense movement in the castle now, alive and frenzied, like the first tremors of an earthquake. Taking one more look at Sora, he turned and ran, ran outside of the reach of Roxas's magick and vanished into the rain.

Sora slowly approached Roxas's body, kneeling down beside it. He turned the blonde onto his back, and Roxas looked to the sky with sightless eyes. His chest was stained with blood, blood that trickled down his sides to the grass. Sora had never seen so much blood, and his head spun. He felt like he was going to throw up. His throat was so raw from screaming and sobbing, his heart ached from racing so quickly, and his ears were ringing, not with the drone of the rain, but with his echoes of own shrieking voice. His chest hurt like never before, and he suddenly just wanted to die, to die and end all of the pain.

But he couldn't… He knew that he couldn't die. He was going to have to suffer, suffer through this pain. He was going to get through it, eventually, but for now, he just collapsed over Roxas's corpse and wept.

000

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**A/N: **Bum bum bum... what will happen next? Hmmm... Lots of anger and tears in this chapter... I might have overdone it, but ah well.

Oh, and some people were wondering about those Bible verses from two chapters ago, and how I knew them and all. I actually stole them from a story I read on fictionpress, called Storm by Winterbridge. It's really amazing, you should all read it! If you click on my homepage and go to my favorites, that's where you can find it. Anyway, she cites a lot of Bible verses concerning homosexuality in that story, and so I just took some of the verses and looked them up in my own Bible and used the wording in my version. I actually only know one verse concerning homosexuality by heart, which is Leviticus 18:22. It's probably the only Bible verse I know by heart. :);;

So, review please?

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	19. Chapter the Nineteenth

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

**A/N: **…Uhm, well… **:ducks flying vegetables: **I'M SO SORRY THIS IS SO LATE! AHHHH!

I hit a severe fanfiction dry spell and fell off the face of the fanfiction world for a while. **:flails: **I'm soooo sorry… but I'm back on track! I'm determined to get this story finished! This, and _Chances in Life_, and I _will _one day finish _Of Wizards and Duelists_, for anyone who… is still miraculously with that story. Eheheh… and, this story! Thank you so much to anyone who is still with this story. Thank you, thank you, thank you! And to those of you who sent me reviews and PMs asking for updates, please know that I did hear, or…read!... your pleas! And I want to thank you so much for encouraging and harassing and prodding me into action. :D

And, well, right now, I have four chapters lined up for posting. :D I'm sorry this one is so short… it was longer, but then I decided something absolutely had to wait for the next present-day chapter, and so it will. The next chapters are longer, I promise!

Anyway, without further ado, here is the next update of _Deadly Desire_…

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000

"Come _on!_"

"No, Sora, I… I don't want to do this anymore." Roxas about-faced and made to leave the club, but was stopped by the solid wall of his best friend.

"Roxas, come _oon_," Sora pleaded. "You need this. You both need this."

"Sora!" Roxas threw his hands up in frustration, and Sora recoiled in defense. "Sora, what is your obsession with _helping _people!"

"What d'you mean?"

"I mean, why do you feel the need to…to… argh, I don't even know!" Roxas huffed and brought his arms back down, his face red with indignation. "Whatever. Let's just get this over with."

Sora broke out into a bright smile and clapped Roxas on the back. "That's the spirit!" Then, with that hand, he steered Roxas further into the club.

It was just as Sora remembered, dark, with swiveling strobe lights, dancing people, pulsing music. There were circular tables around the perimeter, and an illuminated bar to one side. Sora squinted through the alternating patterns of light and shadow and saw a shock of cherry-red hair under the yellow glare of the bar. "There he is!" Sora whispered excitedly to Roxas. "Go on, go on!"

"N-No…" Roxas was frozen, Sora realized as he went to urge the blond forward. "Let's…uh, let's dance first. And then when I'm thirsty enough we can go to the bar." He didn't think he'd be able to force himself to go over there otherwise.

Sora sighed and hung on Roxas's shoulders. "All right…" he said dejectedly.

The two of them wandered out onto the dance floor and immersed themselves in the undulating crowd.

000

Riku was reclining in the boughs of a tree near the shore and staring out over the ocean. It was nearly sunset, so the sky was fading from blue to orange, with yellows and pinks thrown into the mix. If he tilted his head back far enough, he could see nighttime beginning to pool in the opposite horizon. All in all, it was a peaceful setting.

The only thing that would make it perfect was Sora.

Riku shook his head. _I shouldn't be thinking like that_, he berated himself. He didn't need Sora like that, not anymore. He'd purged himself of Sora a long time ago; now all that was left was for him to exact his revenge.

_And then…?_

He paused. A glare slowly burned itself into his eyes. _What 'and then'? _he demanded of himself.

The voice in the back of his mind replied, _And then what? After you exact your revenge and kill Sora, what are you going to do? _

He shook his head again. It was true, that his life, since five hundred A.D., had been about finding Sora again and exacting his revenge. Before that, his life had been about _Sora_, about loving Sora, about being with Sora, about making Sora happy. And before that… he couldn't even remember.

And then…

…and then _that _had happened, and now his life was about revenge.

But what was going to happen after that?

After he'd completed his life's mission, what was he, an immortal vampire, supposed to do? Die? Riku snorted. Like hell he was going to die. Perhaps one day, but not anytime soon.

But what? What was he supposed to do after…?

Riku closed his eyes. _Don't worry about that now_, he told himself. _Just keep your eyes on your goal. Once that's finished, you can figure out what to do._

_What if…_

His eyes opened again to stare at the mottled sky.

_What if you _don't _kill Sora, and you make him your life again?_

Riku's eyes widened slightly.

_Wouldn't you be happier that way?_

"No!" Riku sat up, rustling the leaves around himself in the process. "No, never! I will _never_… I can't forgive him. I can't let him get away with what he did! I have to…"

_I have to avenge them._

"I have to…" He looked out over the ocean, expression twisted in pain. "I…" He put his face in his hands. _Sora…_

"I have to finish what Sephiroth started," he told himself. "Seph was right, he'd always been right. Humans and vampires…can never be…" Riku shook his head again. "Sephiroth…"

_Sora…_

000

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**A/N: **And so, I apologize if that was a little…off, or lame, (and, oh dear, it was so terribly short...) but I'm trying! And the next chapter'll be coming soon!

Review please!

000


	20. Chapter the Twentieth

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

**A/N: **Hah, here's the next chapter! This one's longer. :D And probably a lot more interesting.

Bon appétit!

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**.506 AD.**

Sora hated funerals.

Overhead, a bell rang loudly, disrupting the deadly stillness that had fallen over the castle. Everyone was dressed accordingly, dark tunics mirroring their dark expressions. Sora had no tears left to cry, he felt. And so he watched with blank blue eyes as the priest sprinkled holy water over his cousin's body. Candles burned around the sanctuary, sweet-smelling incense trying to disguise the scent of death and decay. All of the mourners seemed to be hanging on the priest's every word, though it was all in Latin. Most of the nobility was learned in the language, but for Sora it took too much effort to make heads or tails. In the right state of mind, he probably would have had no problem. He just wished the funeral sermon could be in vernacular.

Sora shook his head. On second thought, it didn't really matter. He wasn't paying attention anyway. He knew all of what the priest was talking about, and probably more. The priest was likely going on about death as interpreted from the Biblical scriptures, about how Roxas would find his place with God, how Roxas had been a wonderful person in life and would rejoice in God's Grace in death. About how his loved ones that remained needed to stand strong and feel at peace that Roxas was with the Lord now, no longer subject to the sufferings of the living.

Sora knew it all. He knew the uniform of the funeral sermons, having been to a few where he actually paid attention—he hadn't been connected enough to the deceased person to be drowning in grief, as he was now. He wished the priest would shut up; he hadn't been as close to Roxas as Sora—what right did he have to stand up there and preach about the boy? He'd probably barely known Roxas outside of mass and language lessons. It occurred to Sora then that he didn't even know the priest's name; in the grand scheme of things, did it really matter?

The priest spoke of peace, but never in his life had Sora felt so violent. He wanted to punch a hole through something, maybe throw rocks at the stained-glass windows and knock down the Virgin Mary's smiling face. There was no reason for her to be smiling! Always smiling; what the hell did she have to be so God damned happy about? Sora shut his eyes tightly, his jaw clenched. He would do anything, anything to get rid of the way his lungs burned and his heart ached. He would set the altar on fire, tear down the tapestries and candles…anything.

It was raining outside, Sora noticed, as the priest stopped talking and turned to sprinkle more holy water over Roxas's corpse, which lay inert in its coffin. The coffin was small and child-sized, nothing like the grand one Roxas's father had been buried in. Silence reigned in the sanctuary, disturbed only by the quiet sobs around him, the pattering of the rain on the stained-glass windows, and a cough every now and then.

Sora looked up at the windows again and saw the Virgin Mary's smiling face gazing out over them from the front of the sanctuary. He noticed the way the rain ran down her face; it looked like she was crying. Maybe she wasn't so happy after all.

There was another cough, louder this time. Briefly, Sora flashed on his uncle; the cough sounded frighteningly similar to the way he'd coughed before he died, wet and sickly. Sora saw his brother standing not too far away from him, clothed in black like the rest of them. Aerith was beside him, her eyes downcast, and Kairi and Naminé were beside her. Cloud had a fist to his mouth, his eyes closed as he fought back another cough. Sora frowned briefly, and Cloud opened his eyes just in time to meet Sora's gaze, before the brunet looked away. His heart gave another painful throb.

He felt surrounded by death. The feeling was suffocating. It bore down on him and wrapped him in its cold, uncaring arms. His life felt so fragile right then, like a thin thread that was easily cut or torn. He felt like his ties to the living world were frail and weak and effortlessly severed. He felt like he could very well die at any second. Tears worked up the back of his throat and made it sting and constrict. He didn't want to die! He wanted…

He wanted to see Riku. He didn't want Death's arms around him; he wanted Riku's. Riku would save him. Riku wouldn't let him die.

The irony of the fact that he wanted to find safety in the arms of a murderer was painful.

000

The rain continued to pour relentlessly; it beat on the ground, on the castle stones, on the mourners huddled together in their black funeral garb. One by one, people began to disperse. They adjourned to the castle, disappeared beneath the cold arches in search of dryness and warmth. Sora stayed behind and stared at the grave for a long time, even after everyone had left. Or, almost everyone.

Someone came up alongside Sora at one point. With a quick glance upwards, he recognized the person as Axel, one of Cloud's knights. His usually wild red hair was damp and clinging to his angled, elfin face. Water dripped from his cherry-colored lashes and ran down his cheeks, along the triangular tattoos beneath his eyes. Sora didn't need to be able to differentiate between tears and raindrops on Axel's face to tell whether or not the knight was crying; Sora knew he was. The two of them stood in silence for a long time in front of the fresh grave.

At length, Axel spoke. "You know, I never told him…"

Sora shook his head. "Yeah, me neither."

"I never told him how much he meant to me," Axel said.

"I never told him that I was sorry," Sora said.

"I never told him that I loved him."

Sora shook his head again, which sent a spray of raindrops flying through the air. "Do you want to tell him now?"

Axel was quiet, and then he said, "Yeah. I think I do. Better late than never, right?"

Sora managed a meager smile. "Right."

With one last look at the grave, Sora turned and left. Once Sora was gone, Axel knelt down in the wet grass and touched the cold, slick stone with his bare fingers. "Roxas," he whispered to the rain, "I love you. I always have… I'll get back at that bastard for killing you." His fingers tightened into a fist, his knuckles white against the grave. "I swear it."

Sora, watching from the castle, started to tremble. He slid down against the wall and put his face in his hands. "Riku…"

000

Riku sat on the shore of a lake. It was quiet and serene, nearly dusk, and a gray fog had settled over the water. He'd heard that this particular lake was known as "Loch Ness"—Gaelic, or something. Or maybe that was "Lock Nis"—Scottish Gaelic? He couldn't remember exactly, and it was bothering him that he couldn't. He swore he'd known at one point.

He paused. A dry laugh escaped his lips. A trembling hand swept over his still damp face.

It was funny how these little details were collecting like dust in his mind, _now_, of all times, as if to distract him from other, more pressing things. And he couldn't stop them. Not that he really wanted to, either. He needed to think about the important things, like Sora, like…like _Sora_, but he couldn't. No, the little, asinine _details _swarming his mind like a horde of gnats wouldn't let him.

_What does it matter, anyway? _he thought. _Sora's a thing of the past now. He hates me… he never wants to see me again… I murdered his cousin… Forget about him, move on, it'll hurt less later…_

He closed his eyes tightly and pressed his fingertips into them. The images from earlier kept flashing through his head, swirling images of Roxas and blue eyes that were so like Sora's but not, anger, hate, the heavy, oppressing intent to _kill _that had been radiating off of the blond boy, the panic, the racing pulse, the pain, the…the…

…the blood.

Sora. Sora, fear—no, _terror_ in his eyes. Tears, terror, a trembling body, soaked by the rain, beating on Riku's chest, screaming at him,

"_Riku, how could you! You killed him! You killed him!"_

"_Leave! Get away from here!"_

"_GET AWAY FROM ME!"_

"No…" Riku choked on a sob and pressed his fingers harder into his eyes until he saw stars. "No, Sora… I'm so sorry…"

"Are you really, little brother?"

Riku jumped and his head whipped around so fast that it hurt. "Seph…iroth?" He cursed the way his voice cracked; he didn't mind crying, but not in front of his brother, of all people. _Never _in front of his brother. Sephiroth would jump on the opportunity like a lion on a fresh carcass. He would take pleasure in making Riku squirm, in exploiting his weakness…

Sephiroth's expression looked briefly, theatrically scandalized. Had the situation been any different, Riku would have laughed. "Riku, I would never dare…" he drawled. Riku's jaw clenched.

"Get out of here, Sephiroth," he growled. "Get away from m—"

"_GET AWAY FROM ME!"_

Riku choked again and hid his face in his knees, which were drawn close to his chest. There was a large, slender hand on his head then, petting his waterlogged hair, stroking it in a manner that would have been soothing, had it been coming from anyone other than Sephiroth. "There, there, now, Riku." The elder vampire sank down in the dewy grass beside his brother.

"Get away from me," Riku demanded again, his voice muffled by his knees and his breath ragged as he tried to keep his tears in check.

"I'm only here to help you," Sephiroth crooned.

"Like hell you are."

"Tell me what happened."

"You already know," Riku grumbled. Surely, Sephiroth had already invaded his memories and seen the whole thing. Slowly, the gnats swarming Riku's head began to drop dead, one by one, as if poisoned by Sephiroth's noxious presence. Slowly, the important thoughts were brought to the forefront of his mind. Slowly… _Sora_… _I need to fix this. I can't lose him, not now…_

Sephiroth was quiet. A bird crowed somewhere in the distance, but otherwise everything was still.

"You know what you have to do," Sephiroth spoke eventually, his voice different from its previous syrupy tone. It was calm now, even, somber.

"I don't 'have to do' anything!" Riku snapped, lifting his face to glare at his brother. "Nothing that _you_ have to suggest, anyway."

"The humans will riot," Sephiroth pressed. "This will start an uproar. It will start a _war_,Riku." The shadow of a wicked smile graced his lips, and his voice grew even more hushed as he said, "It's just what we've been waiting for."

Riku's eyes narrowed, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Riku, we have to rally our clan. We have to prepare for war. You've thrown the first stone; they're going to retaliate—"

"Who?"

"The humans."

Riku made a disgusted face. "You're insane. There's no war coming—"

"Au contraire," Sephiroth smirked, "it's been coming for generations now. And it's finally reached its peak. I'm proud of you, little brother."

Riku felt nauseous. He rose shakily to his feet, fists clenched. "Shut up," he hissed dangerously. "Shut up!" He had to find Sora.

And with that, he vanished into the misty air.

Sephiroth chuckled; the sound reeked of something venomous. "My, my, little brother…" more laughter, "_what_ am I going to do with you!"

000

Sora was leaning on his windowsill, gazing blankly out over the landscape. He could smell smoke and blood on the nighttime air, as per usual. A column of black burned somewhere in the distance, sooty against the star-speckled ink of the sky; he'd heard rumor earlier of vampire burnings. He doubted there were real vampires on the stake, just as there were probably never any real witches on the stake. There was no way a real vampire or a real witch would get caught and killed so easily. These people being burned were just casualties of superstition.

The air rippled behind him then, and he started, but only slightly. With a glance over his shoulder, his suspicions were confirmed. "Riku…"

"Sora." Riku swept forward from the shadows and reached out as if to pull the brunet to him, but stopped short, thinking better of it. "Sora…"

Sora pressed his back into the windowsill and shook his head. "Get out of here," he hissed.

"Sora…" Riku's face was twisted in pain.

"Go," Sora demanded again, his voice weakening. "Please, just leave…"

"Sora, I have to talk to you. Please listen to me!"

"Riku, they'll kill you!"

The vampire froze. "…What?"

Sora looked near to tears. "Riku, the castle is on higher alert than ever. Please, get out of here… they'll kill you…"

Riku felt something akin to relief wash over him. Sora didn't want him to leave because he didn't want him there; Sora wanted him to leave because he was afraid for his safety. "Sora…"

"Riku, please…"

Riku closed the remaining space between them and hugged Sora tightly. "Sora, I'm so sorry."

Sora started crying then. The tears rendered him speechless, and so he just clung helplessly to Riku's tunic.

"Sora, I didn't mean to hurt you," Riku whispered, combing his fingers gently through his lover's cinnamon hair. "I didn't mean… Roxas attacked me, I wasn't thinking, I know how much he meant to you, I would never purposefully—"

"I kn-know," Sora sobbed. "I know. I…" He leaned back slightly and rubbed his eyes. He tried to curb his tears so that he could speak comprehensibly. After a few moments, he was able to get himself under control, though he still sniffled and his voice quavered when he said, "I found… I found the stake, and the knife, and the power-limiting stones—in the courtyard. I understood… it wasn't your fault…"

Real, cold relief flooded Riku then, and he sighed, "Sora…"

"Riku, please, get out of here…" Sora pleaded. "I don't know what I'll do if I lose you too…"

"Sora, you won't lose me. I promise, nothing will happen to either of us. I'll protect us."

Sora laughed without mirth. "You can't promise something like that," he whispered.

"I just did." Riku kissed Sora's forehead, and then tilted his chin up to capture his mouth. "Sora, I love you."

"I love you too…" Sora gazed up at Riku, his blue eyes gilded by the light of the moon. They seemed to sparkle with stars.

Riku kissed him again.

The kiss was slow and passionate, and Sora lost himself in it. Riku's arms were snug around his waist, and his own arms were laced around Riku's neck, loath to ever let go because he was afraid that if he did, Riku would disappear. Even though he was still garbed in black from the funeral earlier that day, and even though the smell of blood and smoke was now more pungent in the air, he felt so happy. It wasn't a jovial, flowers-and-sunshine sort of happy, but a bittersweet sort of happy, one that was only so great because he knew it was so fleeting. It was a living-in-the-moment sort of happy, a temporary high, and he knew that when the moment ended, he was going to crash harder than ever.

But right then, he didn't care.

The kiss escalated, and soon Sora found himself pressed into his feather mattress, Riku on top of him, devouring his mouth, his hands groping anything they could reach. Sora was breathless, his heart pounding, his head dizzy from the lack of air, but he didn't want it to stop. He would have let Riku _eat_ him if he could only hold onto him like this for a little longer…

"Sora," Riku whispered, panting as he drew back from the kiss, "I love you…" Lazily, he licked Sora's lips.

"I love you too," Sora whispered back, his fingers tangled in Riku's moonlight-spun hair. "I don't want to lose you…"

"You won't," Riku gave Sora another sweet, languid kiss, "I promise…"

"You can't promise something like that…"

"I just did."

Riku looked down at Sora's face, aquamarine meeting forget-me-not blue, and just as they leaned in for one more kiss, there was a knock on Sora's door. Riku was gone in a heartbeat, and Sora was left alone on his bed.

He crashed. And the pain of the impact made him want to cry again.

There was another knock. "Sora?" It was his mother.

"Come in," Sora called. He hoped that the crack in his voice wasn't audible through the door.

The door opened slowly, and his mother appeared, also still clothed in black. "Sora," she said softly, "your father wants to see you."

Sora sighed and curled up on his mattress. "Can… Can you ask him if it can wait until morning, Mother? I'm so tired…"

His mother looked about to protest, but upon taking another look at her son, relented. "All right. I'll tell him. Get some rest."

"I will. Goodnight Mother."

"Goodnight." With a small smile on her lips, his mother left the room again, closing the door gently behind her.

Sora sighed again and crawled up to his pillow. Pulling the blankets over himself, he glanced out his window at the twinkling sky. "Riku…"

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**A/N: **Review please! And, well, even if you don't, I promise to keep the chapters coming! Never fear!

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	21. Chapter the Twenty First

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

**A/N: **More chapters! I have one more finished chapter after this… and then I'll have to write like the wind. Hopefully these four will keep you all satisfied until I have more written!

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"Roxas…" Sora dragged his friend off the dance floor. He was flushed and sweating and panting, and "No more! You're going to dance us to death!"

"Death doesn't sound so bad right now," Roxas murmured as he was pulled by the collar towards the bar.

"Oh, shut up." Sora rolled his eyes before pushing his matted bangs out of them.

Sora came to a halt in front of the bar, and Roxas ducked behind him. Sora rolled his eyes again. "Hey, Axel!"

The redhead meandered down the bar to Sora as he wiped a glass clean with a white towel. He smiled slightly upon seeing Sora, but apparently failed to recognize the figure cowering behind the brunet. "Yo, long time, no see! What can I do you for?"

"Two waters," Sora said, and added, "Preferably, _un_drugged."

Axel's smile turned sheepish as he set the glass down and scratched the back of his head. "Eheheh… yeah, all right. No problem." Then he turned to get Sora's order.

Sora glanced at Roxas over his shoulder. The blond was peeking around Sora now that Axel's back was turned. "It… It's really him," he breathed.

"Yeah, I told you."

"Here you go."

Roxas jumped and hid behind Sora again as Axel handed them their drinks.

Axel peered around Sora suspiciously. He was wiping another glass with the same white towel. "Hey, who's your friend?"

"Well, d'you remember when I told you that I'd talk to Roxas for you?"

Axel dropped the glass and the towel. The glass hit the bar, rolled off, and shattered on the floor. All of the heads within hearing range (which weren't many, considering the range was made pretty small by the omnipresent music) turned, and Axel swore, now a foot or two away from where he'd been previously standing.

He quickly forgot about the mess however, and moved back to stand before Sora. He peered around Sora's shoulder again and asked, "Roxas…?"

The blond sighed and stepped out from behind his human shield. "Yeah…"

Axel's face erupted in a bright smile and he leaned forward, as if to get a better look at the blond. Roxas instinctively took a step back. "Roxas! I…" Axel paused, and composed himself upon noticing Roxas's anxious expression. "I… It's…great to see you again," Axel finished sedately and then went about cleaning up the glass. He grabbed a broom from somewhere out of sight and busied himself with sweeping up the shards. "So, uh… how's it been?"

Roxas slowly sat down on a barstool and shrugged. Sora sat beside him. "It's been okay," he replied.

"Is your mom still running that store?"

"Yeah."

Axel smiled fondly at the memory. "That was a great store. Always had the best music… Haven't been there in a while, though."

"Two years?" Roxas ventured.

"…More or less."

Sora nudged Roxas's arm, and the blond passed him a sidelong glare before returning his attention to the redhead, who was currently hidden, as he'd disappeared behind the bar to sweep the broken glass into a dustpan.

He reappeared a moment later and dumped the shards into a nearby trashcan, his usually expressive face carefully impassive. Loath as he was to admit it, Roxas didn't like it. "Axel…" He leaned forward slightly. "Axel, I'm sorry."

"…What?" Axel looked curiously at Roxas. Through the pretended casualness Roxas could see fear and hope swimming in the impossibly green depths of the redhead's eyes.

"I'm sorry," Roxas said again, louder this time.

"…For what?"

"For…" Roxas fidgeted, drawing a fingertip over the bar's pockmarked wood, "for blowing up at you, that time… for scaring you away…" He rubbed his eye with the heel of his palm. "I didn't meant to…"

Axel looked forlornly down at the towel now clenched in his hands. "No, that's okay. You don't have to apologize for that. It was all my fault; I should have known better, I should have—"

"Axel…" Roxas stood up, but the redhead ignored him, and continued, "acted better, I shouldn't've come onto you, that was so… so _wrong_, especially since you… fuck, you were fourteen! I…"

"Axel!" Roxas leaned up and took Axel's face in his hands, staring directly into his eyes, icy blue against candy-apple green. Axel looked startled, and even more so when Roxas leaned up further and pressed their lips together.

Sora smiled behind his glass and turned his back on them, gazing instead out at the dance floor.

"Axel…" Roxas breathed as he pulled back. "Axel, I'm sorry. I'd always meant to tell you…"

Axel slowly opened his eyes.

"I love you, too."

000

Sora returned home from Abyss that night walking on a cloud. It had been nice to see Roxas so happy with Axel. They were definitely made for each other, despite the seven years' age difference. But really, what was seven years in the realm of love?

Sora opened his front door, announced his presence to his parents, and traipsed up the stairs to his room. Flicking on the lights, he closed his door and waltzed over to his bed, where he collapsed, gazing blithely up at the pebbled ceiling.

Somewhere in the bowls of his house, the phone rang.

"Sora!"

With a sigh, he rolled onto his stomach and took the phone off his nightstand. "'Yello?"

"_Sora?_"

Sora smiled. "Oh, hey Kairi. What's up?"

"_Sora… I…_" She sounded scared.

Sora sat up as he slowly came down off his previous high. "Kairi? What's wrong?"

"_Oh, Sora, I… I had a nightmare…_"

Sora breathed a sigh of relief. "That's all?"

"_What do you mean 'that's all'!_" she nearly shrieked. "_Sora, it was terrible… you…you died…_"

"What?"

"_You…_" she hiccupped a sob, _"you died. Riku…he—_"

"Riku…?"

"_He killed you! Sora, I'm_," her voice dropped to a staticy whisper, "_I'm really scared…_"

Sora laughed, and didn't fail to notice that it sounded nervous. "Kairi, it was just a dream. Riku… Riku would never do that."

"_Sora, I-I don't trust him Sora!_"

"I know you don't," he sighed. "But, Kairi, please, he wouldn't… he cares about me…"

"_Sora, break up with him._"

"…What?"

"_Please, _please _break up with him!_" Kairi trilled.

"Kairi…" he frowned, "I can't do that. I… I love him."

"_Sora, get a hold of yourself! You _can't _love him, you just met him! You barely know him! For all we know, he could be crazy… he says he's a vampire, that he's been chasing you for thousands of years—honestly, Sora, he's… he's dangerous._"

"Kairi, you don't know what you're talking about," Sora deadpanned, his patience slipping. It was a rare thing, but it was happening.

"_I don't want to lose you!_"

Sora froze. Those words… they sounded so familiar…

"…_you won't lose me. I promise, nothing will happen to either of us."_

Sora shook his head.

"_I'll protect us."_

"No…"

"_Sora_," Kairi pleaded.

"No, Kairi, you won't lose me. I promise."

"_Sora, the only way you can keep that promise is if you break up with Riku!_"

"Kairi…" Sora sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. "Kairi, you're overreacting."

"_Sora, I've always had a bad feeling about him. I don't trust him, I—_"

"Maybe you're just jealous of him," Sora suggested casually, though there was no hiding the slight bite in his voice.

Silence.

Then, "_...What!_"

"Maybe you're just jealous of him," Sora said again.

"_Sora…_" There was a sob, and then another, and another, and then finally the phone went dead.

"Kairi…?" Sora scratched the back of his neck as he hung the phone back up.

"Women."

Sora turned and saw Riku reclining his desk chair. A smile stole across the brunet's face, and Riku mimicked it with his trademark smirk-like grin. "Can't live with 'em…"

"Can't live without 'em," Sora agreed. He got up and padded over to Riku, who stood too and met him halfway. "How long have you been here?"

"Long enough."

"Oh…" Sora averted his eyes. "You heard?"

Riku nodded, though he was still smiling, now more of a genuine, soft smile than a smirk. "Sora, you know I would never…"

"I know. That's what I told her, but…"

Riku leaned down and kissed Sora tenderly. Pulling back, he murmured, "Don't worry about her. She'll come to her senses eventually."

"I hope so. I mean, she is one of my best friends… I…" Sora shook his head.

"Don't worry," Riku murmured again, leaning down for another kiss. Sora happily obliged.

Still locked at the mouth, Sora backpedaled to the bed, sat down, and pulled Riku with him. Riku straddled his lap and draped his arms over Sora's shoulders, his head tilted to deepen the kiss. Sora's hands ran down Riku's back to his waist and then to his ass, which caused Riku to squirm slightly and lap entreatingly at Sora's lips.

Riku pushed Sora back and laid on top of him, continuing the kiss. Sora's hands ventured down more, beneath Riku's pants. He smirked inwardly to find that Riku wasn't wearing any underwear. Riku made a small sound not unlike a moan and broke the kiss, his face pinker than Sora had ever seen it. Sora smiled innocently (and it was the biggest farce of innocence in the history of forever) as his hands crept down even further. "Thank God for elastic waistbands," he teased. Riku chuckled breathily and shook his head, the tips of his silver hair tickling over Sora's cheek.

Sora's fingers brushed something along the back of Riku's thigh, a sigil, he realized. A Deadly Sin tattoo. "Which one?" he whispered against Riku's lips as the vampire shivered.

"Uhh…"

"There are two left, aren't there?" Sora nibbled on Riku's lower lip and grazed the marking again with his fingertips. Riku gasped for breath. "Let's see… I found Lust, and Anger, and…" another stroke, "Envy," another gasp, "and Pride…and Gluttony…" His fingers inched Riku's pants down his hips a little ways. "What are the other two?"

"Uhh… uhhh… Envy?"

"I said that one. You're not paying attention," stroke, "_Riku_."

"Ahh…uhh, shit, Sora… Anger?"

"Said that."

"A…Avarice. Avarice." Sora touched the tattoo again, and Riku buried his head in Sora's neck. "You're going to be the death of me…"

"This one's Avarice?"

"Yeah… or, Greed, if you want."

"Where's the last one?"

Riku lifted his face and offered Sora a fanged smile. "You're just gonna have to find it yourself."

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge?"

"It very well could be."

Sora pushed Riku off him so that he rolled onto his back beside the brunet. He hovered over the vampire and looked his body up and down. "Well, let's see… I know that there are five above the waistline. And…that's it. And now another below the waistline… the other must be down there somewhere, too."

"What makes you so sure?"

Sora grinned. "Just a hunch."

"Uh-huh…" _More of those past-life flashes, no doubt._ "Well, where is it?"

"Hmmmm…" Sora danced his fingers down Riku's stomach, down his hip, down his left leg. "Down…" His hand crept a little further, until Sora had slid off the bed and was observing Riku's ankles. "Here." He lifted Riku's pant leg, grabbed his left ankle, and spotted the marking there, on the outside. "Sloth, isn't it?"

Riku jerked his foot back out of danger and pulled his knee to his chest. "Well aren't you sharp."

Sora's head popped up over the edge of the bed, and then continued up onto it, the rest of his body in tow. "I'm just good like that." He sat beside Riku, grinning satisfactorily. "So, I've found all seven. What do I win?"

"Hmmmm…" Riku gave Sora a calculating onceover. Then, he leaned over and claimed Sora's mouth, pushing the brunet back against the pillows.

He kissed Sora thoroughly, ravishing his mouth, re-exploring the contours that he'd already long since memorized, tasting the brunet like he'd never had anything so sweet. And he never wanted to stop. He wouldn't have stopped, either, if Sora hadn't nudged him away for air. Even then, his lips continued questing, down Sora's jaw, along his neck, to his collarbone. His hands went on an adventure of their own, and slid under Sora's shirt. They pushed it up to gain access to his chest, where his fingers twisted Sora's nipples and teased them until a satisfying noise was wrested from Sora's mouth.

"Before," Sora breathed, "I never would have imagined that to feel very good for a boy…" He laughed.

Riku smiled against Sora's chest, where his mouth had ventured to. "Nipples are nipples, Sora, whether you have breasts or not." As if to prove his point, Riku closed his mouth over one of them and sucked. Sora groaned, his fingers curling around Riku's hair.

"Riku," Sora whispered, "Riku, I love you…"

Automatically, Riku replied, "I love you too…"

"Riku."

Riku started and sat bolt upright. He turned, and what he saw made him scowl. "Leon, what the hell are you doing here?"

Sora hastily tugged his shirt back down. A bright blush bloomed in his face as he propped himself up on his elbows and peered around Riku to the vampire who'd suddenly appeared.

"Riku," Leon said, "it's…" steely eyes flickered to Sora and back again, "urgent."

Riku and Leon had a silent exchange, which Sora suspected to have been conducted telepathically, and then Riku climbed off of Sora. Before getting off the bed, he turned and gave Sora another kiss. "Sorry, I have to go."

Sora couldn't hide his look of disappointment.

"I'll be back," Riku assured with a smile, touching the side of Sora's face.

"Okay." Sora pouted, and Riku kissed him again.

"Bye…" Riku's fingers lingered on Sora's cheek before finally sliding away as he stood. Waving at Sora, he went to stand with Leon.

"Bye." Sora smiled and waved back.

Without further ado, Riku and Leon disappeared.

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**A/N: **Needless to say, review please! And… again, sorry if these present-day chapters seem kind of lame. Do they seem lame to anyone else? Well, still, all of the drama'll be taking place in the past before they pick up in the future. :D;;;

It's almost done, guys! Ahhh!

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	22. Chapter the Twenty Second

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

**A/N: **All right, this is the last chapter I have for now. More will come, I promise! I will finish this story before the summer's out!

Enjoy!

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**.506 AD.**

"Father…?"

Sora entered his father's study that morning after breakfast. The lord was sitting behind a large oak desk, something silver and glinting in his hands.

"Sora." His father smiled at him as he rose and rounded the desk. Sora could see the sadness in the smile. Sadness would be something of a fashion trend around the castle for a while to come, since Roxas's death. "How are you?"

Sora smiled too, one just like his father's. "I'm all right. I've fared better…"

"Haven't we all. Sora, you do know what it was that killed Roxas, right?"

"It was a vampire."

"Yes… do you know which one?"

"No," Sora lied.

"It was that one… that you danced with at the feast." His father put a strong hand on Sora's shoulder. "Do you remember?"

"O…Of course, Father. I remember." Sora looked nervously down at the stone floor.

"Yes. Roxas's body…a…and the courtyard reeked of its aura."

_Its…? _Sora looked up at his father and had to try his hardest to keep from glaring. Since when had they started referring to vampires as if they were _things _and not people?

"Sora, this belonged to Roxas," his father continued, displaying the thing he'd been holding. It was an amulet, their family crest. It was the one that all of the other crests were made from; it was _the _crown. It wasn't coin-shaped with a crown imprinted into the metal, like the others, but it was the crown that made the imprints into all of the other crests. It was the original, handed down from the founders of their family. "It belonged to his father before him," the lord explained. "And it went to Roxas when his father died. And now… we want to give it to you."

"M-Me?" Sora looked wonderingly up at his father. "Why? Why _me_? Father, I don't… I don't _deserve _it, I'm not _like _Roxas, or Uncle…"

"But you will be, Sora." His father put his hands on Sora's shoulders, both of them this time. "Sora, after Roxas's death, you have to see…you have to see that these vampires… they're heartless creatures. They _killed _your _cousin_, your _best friend_. You thought that vampire _cared_ about you, but the minute you turned your back, it slaughtered your kin. That's how they _work_, Sora. You… You have to see that now."

_No!_ Sora wanted to scream. _No, they're not like that! It's YOUR fault that Roxas is dead, not Riku's! It's your fault for promoting this… this ridiculous Vampire Hunter business! Roxas never would have never died if it weren't for that! _Instead, he said, "Yes, I… I see that now. I will never trust a vampire again." Something nauseating squirmed in his stomach at these words, something like guilt. Guilt, for lying straight to his father's face. As much as he hated the Vampire Hunters, he still loved his family.

Swallowing back all of the turbulence brewing within him, he took the amulet and clasped it around his neck. It hung proudly over his shirt, rather than under, like his cross and his other amulet. He turned the crown over in his hands, and saw scrawled into the silver the family motto:

_timendi causa est nescire_

Ignorance is the cause of fear.

His father patted his shoulders fondly and gave him that same sad, but this time vaguely satisfied smile. "Sora, there's…something else, too, that I wanted to tell you."

"Yes?" Sora looked curiously up at his father.

"You're engaged."

Sora's heart stopped in his chest, and for a moment he was sure that he'd misheard—or misunderstood—his father. "P-Pardon?"

"Sora," his father smiled warmly, "you're engaged."

"En…gaged… to be married?"

"Yes."

"To who!" Sora paused and tried to compose himself. His heart was beating terribly fast.

"To Lady Kairi. Do you remember her, from the feast?"

"Yes…" Red hair, violet eyes, pink frills… "Yes, I remember her."

"Both you and Cloud are engaged."

"C…Cloud, too?"

"Yes. He's engaged to Lady Aerith."

"I… Father, I don't know what to say."

"I know, I know. It's exciting, isn't it?" His father was practically beaming. "Your mother tried to convince me that it was too soon, for you, at least, but I say it's never too soon to have a fine woman on your arm. We don't live forever, after all."

"Father… I… I don't know…"

"What?" His father considered Sora for a moment, and then his happiness began to ebb. "You don't want to be married?"

"I…"

"Sora, you have to be married. Lady Kairi is a wonderful girl. She'll make a nice wife."

"But, Father, I don't love her…"

The lord was quiet for a moment, and then said, "But you'll come to. It's impossible not to love that girl. She's so sweet, her and Lady Aerith both…"

"Father!" Sora looked up at him, angry. "I don't love her! I don't want to marry her!"

"Who then?" his father demanded. "Sora, I might not be around for much longer… I need to be sure that both of you boys will be okay. I need to make sure that you're… that you have families to carry on our legacy."

"Father, I _can't marry her_," Sora pressed. "I don't love her…"

"Sora." His father's large hands landed solidly on his shoulders again, and his eyes matched Sora's, blue for blue. "Sora, you just… don't understand yet. I know what's best for you, and what's best is for you to have a secure marriage, and to start a family."

"Father, I'm only fifteen!"

The lord straightened again, and looked suddenly very imposing. Sora felt himself shrink back a little. "Roxas was only fifteen, too, and look at him now!"

Sora's eyes widened. Was his father really going to bring Roxas into this…?

"Sora, nothing is certain. None of us knows how long we have to live—"

"…_A year, a year, young lord. A year have you to live."_

"—you need to take care of these things while you're still young and healthy and _alive_."

"_A year from this day, you shall die. Die you shall, a year from this day, this very day."_

Sora took a few more steps back and screwed his eyes shut, his heart now hammering painfully against his chest and his eyes stinging as if an army fire ants was eating them from the inside out. _No, no…_

"Sora, look at me."

"_A year from this day,…"_

"Sora."

"…_you shall die."_

"Sora!"

_Riku! Riku, I need you… _Sora choked back his tears and opened his eyes again. His father, while still looking angry and threatening, also looked…scared. His father was scared. He was scared for Sora, for Cloud, for himself. He was scared for all of them.

_timendi causa est nescire_

"Father…" Sora took a deep breath to steady himself. "All right, Father. I'll… I'll marry Lady Kairi. I understand."

His father visibly relaxed, but instead of relieved he looked…defeated. He turned back to his desk and sent Sora on his way. "Go to your lessons. Your mother is waiting."

Sora nodded and left the room. His head was spinning, and the amulet felt heavy on his chest, and as he walked through the corridors on his way to his lesson, he had to try very hard to not chuck it out one of the many windows that he passed.

000

Riku appeared in his room that night. Without a word, he hugged Sora close and kissed him, and Sora kissed him back for a moment before forcing the vampire away. He held Riku at arm's length and looked up into his eyes. "Riku, please… don't come here anymore."

Riku froze. Slowly, confusion and hurt bled into his moonlit features. "…What are you saying?" Then he spied the crown hanging on Sora's chest. He made it touch it, but stopped short, afraid of hurting himself. "Sora…"

"Riku, _please!_" Sora begged. "Please, don't come here anymore."

"Sora, I can't… not see you…"

"Riku…" Sora gasped, his breath wavering. "Please, please…" He fisted Riku's tunic and clung desperately to the vampire. "You can't come here anymore!"

"Sora…"

"Don't!" Sora almost shouted, but kept his voice down for fear of someone hearing him. "Don't come here anymore!"

Riku's eyes took on an angry glint, and he gripped Sora's arms tightly. "Sora, what are you saying!" he hissed.

"Riku…" Sora whimpered as Riku's grip tightened. "Riku, please don't come here anymore…"

"You keep saying that, but why? Why, Sora! What's wrong? Speak to me!" The anger faded away to fear and pain, and Sora felt his resolve crumble.

"Riku…" Sora slid to the floor as Riku let go of his arms. "Riku, I'm sorry…"

"What?" Riku knelt down beside him, concern appearing in his eyes and dominating the other emotions. "What's wrong?"

"Riku, I'm… I'm engaged."

Riku was slow in responding, and when he did find his words, all that came out was, "What?"

"I'm… engaged…to be married."

"…What?"

"Riku!" Sora looked sharply up at Riku, his eyes begging with the vampire to understand him. "Riku, I'm engaged to be married!"

"…Wh…Why? How!" Riku's expression morphed into one of desperation.

"My father…he engaged me to Lady Kairi."

"He… He can't do that!"

"He did. I… Riku, that doesn't matter. We can't do this anymore… It's too difficult. It's too dangerous. We're going to get caught one day… and they'll… Riku, they'll kill you…"

"Sora, I promised—"

"You can't promise something like that!" Sora almost shrieked, but again had the sense to keep his voice down.

"Sora…"

"Riku, for all I know, my father could be doing this because he still suspects me to be with you." Sora looked back down at the floor. "Maybe… maybe he suspects me to be going astray; he probably thinks that a wife will pull me back to the 'right side.' My father… he's just scared, he's scared like we all are. He doesn't know what to do to make the fear go away. Riku, we can't…"

"S…Sora…"

Something dripped onto the floor. Was Riku crying?

Sora looked up again and saw that Riku was, indeed, crying. Sora bit his lip to stave off his own tears. "Sora, I can't…" He wiped furiously at his face. "I can't live without you…"

"Riku…" Sora reached up to cup the side of Riku's face, but the vampire swatted his hand away. Hurt stung Sora's chest.

"Sora, I can't… Sora…"

"Riku…" Sora gasped out a sob. "Please, don't…come here anymore…"

Riku rose shakily to his feet. Sora went with him, his arms wrapped tightly around himself. Then, Riku pulled Sora close and took his mouth in a fierce kiss. Sora's breath left him at the intensity of it. He clung to Riku's shoulders and returned the kiss the best he could as he was slowly walked back to the bed. Riku eased him down onto the mattress and continued to kiss him. His hands wandered everywhere, touched everything. And the moon outside the window was the only one who stood witness to it all.

In the morning, Sora awoke alone. He was used to waking up alone, but this time was different, because…

…this time…

…he knew that Riku was never coming back.

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**A/N: **Eheheh… another cliffhanger. Sorry! Please review! And thanks again, everyone, for sticking with me. :D Love you all!

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	23. Chapter the Twenty Third

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

**A/N: **Yay! Another chapter! Uhhhh, well, this chapter is…uh, about 5 pages long… and the next chapter is…uh, 18 pages long. **:shifty eyes: **Yeah, so this might have been coordinated a little poorly. I need to fit a lot into the past-chapters, so the present-chapters have to be short… but most of the action is happening in the past anyway, so hopefully no one will complain. :)

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED! And special thanks to those who pointed out typos or made little critiques (you know who you are). :D Those make me especially happyyy…

Uuund so… without further ado, chapter 23 of _Deadly Desire_…

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Yuna's heart was pounding. Slowly, she opened the door and crept inside. Everything was dark, so she flipped on a light and jumped when the room was suddenly illuminated, even though it was of her own doing. She knew this had to be done, but that didn't make the task any less difficult.

She hated putting spells on her fellow witches, especially without their knowing. That went against the witches' ethics, but this…this had to be done. There were innocent people at stake, she was sure of it. It might have been their souls, or their hearts, or even their lives that were on the line—she didn't know the details. _Which is what I'm here to remedy_, she reminded herself.

Her fingers closed tightly over the drawstring pouch in her hand as she moved further into Lulu's bedroom. It was swathed in dark colors and filled with gothic-type furniture—so utterly Lulu. Yuna didn't have time to admire the interior design of Lulu's room, however, as her racing heart so dutifully pointed out.

With a surprisingly steady hand, she pulled the mouth of her pouch open. A bitter, herbal aroma wafted out, and was soon followed by a fine, grayish powder that she scattered throughout the bedroom. Once the pouch was empty, Yuna hid herself behind the hangings of Lulu's four-poster bed and waited.

000

"Are you certain?" Riku demanded, his voice knifelike.

"Absolutely," Leon replied immediately.

Riku sat down on a tree stump and worried his bottom lip between his teeth. "It can't be…"

"But it is. Riku, we've sensed him," Vincent assured the silver-haired vampire. "It can't be anyone but him… his aura is unmistakable."

"And it's…" Leon trailed off with a sigh.

"What?" Riku glanced sharply up at the stormy-eyed brunet.

"It's…almost like he _wants _to be found."

"What d'you mean?"

"Well," Vincent said, "you knew him better than anyone. If he didn't want people to know where he was—and he rarely did—then _no one _would know where he was. He was a master of cloaking techniques."

Leon nodded. "Yeah, he could waltz right up to you with a knife and an intent to kill—"

"And you wouldn't know it until there was cold, hard steel rammed into your back," Vincent finished.

Riku grimaced. "Thanks for the mental imagery."

"Riku…" Leon sighed again. "Riku, you know…"

"Of course I know." Riku ran his fingers restlessly through his hair. "This is bad. But… I could have sworn… he—he was definitely dead!"

"Riku, you never found a body." Leon knelt down beside his friend. "You only felt his aura vanish from the face of the earth, but like we said…"

"A master," Vincent murmured agreeably.

"And now… he's back. As if from the dead, he's back," Leon said.

Vincent crossed his arms. "And whatever he's planning…"

"Can't be good," Leon finished quietly. "For us, or for mankind."

Riku sighed, distraught. "I know." He put his face in his hands and sat still for a moment. Then, his fingers parted and he peeked out at the ground between them, his aqua eyes suddenly wide. "Sora."

"What?" Leon glanced at his friend, curious.

"Sora… I've got to…"

"What is it with this boy?" Vincent demanded, though his tone remained calm and dark as always.

Riku lifted his face and blinked up at Vincent.

The raven-haired vampire sighed. "I hate to say 'I told you so'…" he murmured.

Riku's eyes narrowed into a glare. "Told me what?"

"That you wouldn't be able to help it. You wouldn't be able to help falling in love with him all over again." Vincent indifferently observed the nearest tree as if he was discussing the weather with Riku, and then said, "Or, rather, you never really did fall _out of _love with him, did you?"

"Shut up," Riku snapped, fangs bared.

"But it's true." Vincent's cool coppery eyes stared at Riku, and Riku had the fleeting, but frightening, notion that they were looking right through him. Just like…

"No, it's not." Riku rose slowly from his seat, fists clenched at his sides.

"_You said… When you first met me a month ago, you said that we used to make love every night that we were together.…" _

"Riku," Leon warned.

"_Why would you…place so much trust in me?" _

The silver-haired vampire paid Leon no mind. "It's not true. I don't love that…that backstabbing—murderer!"

"…_Because…I loved you…"_

"Riku!" Leon said again.

"_And…do you love me now?"_

"Stay out of this, Squall," Riku snarled at the brunet. Leon glared. Turning back to Vincent, Riku continued, "I don't love him."

"…_Yes."_

"I don't now, and I never will—ever again. You mark my words… he… he…" Something bit at the corners of Riku's eyes, but he forcefully bid it away. "He…!"

"Riku…" Leon breathed, now more defeated than cautioning.

"But you do," Vincent assured Riku. "You do love him."

"What the hell do you know!" Riku lunged at Vincent and threw his fist across the macabre vampire's pale face. Vincent reeled back, holding his abused cheek, and glared silently at Riku.

"Riku!" Leon grabbed his friend's arm and dragged him back. "Riku, fuck, get a hold of yourself! Have you completely _lost it?_"

"'f course he has," Vincent said, his breathing suddenly heavy. "He's in love. That's what happens when you're in love."

Before Riku could retaliate again, Vincent was gone.

"That…" Riku wrenched his arm from Leon's grip and growled in frustration. "That bastard! What does he know!"

"Riku, please… get a hold of yourself," Leon said.

"That… That witch, it's her fault," Riku mumbled to himself.

"Who?"

Riku didn't reply, but instead vanished into thin air. Leon shook his head, despaired. He felt like things were barreling forward on a freight train that was headed straight for a brick wall, and he was helpless to stop it.

Without further hesitation, he disappeared too.

"Leon…?" Cloud stood from his seat on the couch in his living room, his blue eyes startled and confused. "What're you—" Before he could finish his thought, Leon had pulled Cloud into his arms and was hugging him tightly.

"Cloud…"

Cloud looked worried, but said nothing. Instead, he just held Leon close as the vampire closed his eyes and leaned gratefully into the blond.

000

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**A/N: **Bu-bu-bum! What's Yuna up to? Who came back from the dead? I bet you're all wondering now… or not. Well, anyway, I know it was short, but review please!

000


	24. Chapter the Twenty Fourth

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

**A/N: **And now for the 18-page long chapter! Hopefully…you'll all like it.

One chapter closer to the end! **:dancedance:**

And so, enjoy!

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**.507 AD.**

"Cloud!" Axel called. "I'm going to check over there!" He pointed, and Cloud nodded. Without further ado, Axel kicked his horse into motion and galloped off.

Cloud sighed and shielded his eyes from the sun with his hand. He hated the way his breath felt watery and diseased in his throat. He hated the way his mouth constantly tasted of blood. He hated the way his heart seemed to be beating heavily and quickly.

_No, don't think about that now…_ Cloud told himself. His horse shifted uneasily beneath him, as if sensing his distress. Cloud patted the creature's gray neck and urged it forward across the field.

The serfs had requested help. They sensed a danger on their land; the livestock were restless. They said it was vampires. The lord, who was usually loath to send his knights out for anything short of a foreign invasion, immediately acquiesced. And so Cloud found himself down on the farmland with a small troupe of his men on a bright winter's day.

The new year had come and gone. Winter would leave soon.

_I'm engaged to be married_… Cloud sighed again and rubbed his eyes as his horse meandered. His father's words from a month ago still resounded heavily in his mind. _Engaged to be married… I feel sorry for Lady Aerith. Married to someone so sick, and someone so…_

Looking up, he caught sight of a familiar face in the shadows of a nearby copse of trees.

…_so in love with someone else…_

He slowed his horse to a stop and then slid off the saddle onto the ground. Smiling, he hastened over to the trees and ran into the vampire's arms. His heavy chain mail clinked as he moved; his dark blue tunic was softer to the touch. "Squall…"

Leon smiled fondly and pulled Cloud tight against him. "Cloud… How're you feeling?"

"Awful…" Cloud replied offhandedly, nosing Leon's neck. "But, a little better now…"

Leon chuckled lowly. "I'm glad to hear it."

"Squall…" Cloud sighed again. "Squall, if I was a vampire, would I die?"

Leon stilled. "Why…would you want to be a vampire?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Blue eyes turned up towards the vampire. "I…don't want to die. I want to be with you…"

"Cloud, I told you, if you fight it—"

"Squall, that's not good enough!" Cloud's eyes were suddenly alight with desperation and, Leon noticed, sorrow. "I'm going to die, sooner or later… I don't want to… Squall, I want to be with you! I love you! You're never going to die!"

"That's not true—"

"Squall!" Cloud's gloved fingers curled around Leon's tunic. "Squall, please…"

Leon shook his head. "I… I can't, Cloud, I can't do that to you…"

"Do what?"

"Make you into a vampire."

"Why not?"

"Because… I would never wish it on someone else." Leon sighed and closed his eyes as he pressed his face into Cloud's golden hair. After a moment, he lifted his head again to speak. "Being a vampire… outwardly, it might not seem like such a bad thing. Immortality, eternal youth… but…it's a miserable existence. Especially for someone who is turned into a vampire. Some vampires are born into prestigious vampire clans, like Riku. Others are made, like myself. We don't belong to any clan, to any family… we just drift through eternity with _nothing_. The world is constantly changing around us, and anything that we learn to love and cherish is one day gone before our very eyes, or morphed beyond recognition.

"Vampires are completely removed from the natural cycles of this world. Life, death, rebirth… In this world, everything is cyclical, everything has a purpose, everything goes around and comes around—it's never-ending… _that _is true immortality. And vampires aren't a part of it. There's… there's only one way…"

Cloud looked up at Squall. "One way?"

The brunet nodded. "There is one way for a vampire to be freed from his life of stagnancy, his living death. There's no clear-cut reason for it, but…a vampire can be redeemed. A vampire can do something so… so human, so beautiful, that he dies and is reborn again, reborn as a human, accepted back into the cycle. He's _redeemed_. Doesn't that tell you anything, Cloud? That the means of a vampire becoming human and the means of a human becoming a vampire are so different… one way, you're saving yourself, and the other, you're signing your soul away. Cloud…"

Cloud closed his eyes tightly and pressed his face into Squall's neck.

"Cloud…" Leon whispered. He petted Cloud's windswept hair. "Cloud, humans are beautiful. As a human, you can't really see it… but they are. What makes living so beautiful and worthwhile is that it doesn't last forever. And what makes being a human turned vampire so horrible is that… you don't see any of this before it's too late. Cloud, I can't… I can't really explain this, or stress it enough, but please, value what you have right now. It's more precious than anything else in the world. And… I love you too, and I don't want to lose you, but sometimes… sometimes that's the way things go. It can't be changed…"

"But Squall," Cloud murmured, "it can be changed. You can change it… You can…"

"Cloud, please… please don't ask me to do that. I won't do it."

Cloud suddenly felt too tired to argue anymore. And with his surrender, some of what Squall had said started to sink in. "Beautiful…"

"Yes," Leon whispered, and tilted Cloud's face up to kiss him. The sickening taste of bad blood was heavy in Cloud's mouth, but Leon didn't care. He just…

"Cloud!"

The two jumped apart and Leon vanished without another word. One of Cloud's knights, a burly brunet named Lexaeus, came galloping up to him on his large black stallion. "Sire, we've found…"

Cloud straightened his tunic and looked expectantly at Lexaeus.

"Sire, we've found vampires."

Cloud's eyes widened, and he started running. Lexaeus joined him and waited for Cloud to mount his own horse before leading the way towards a nearby stable. Clouds' men were already assembled around it, talking excitedly and nervously amongst themselves. When their commander arrived, they quieted immediately and stepped aside. Cloud dismounted, his chainmail whispering gratingly, and approached the stable doors.

"We…took care of them," Axel said. "Stakes through the hearts."

"They attacked us," another of the knights added. "We were checking the stables and they—"

Cloud waved his hand to silence his man. He stepped through the doorway and was immediately immersed in the shadows of the stable. Light permeated the air from the windows in each stall, creating boxes of honey on the hay- and dirt-strewn floorboards. One such box illuminated the pale, beautiful face of a vampire that lay at the end of the stable, propped against the wall alongside a companion. The eyes were like aquamarines, and while they probably at one point sparkled just like their jewel counterparts, now they were dusty and hollow with death and stared unseeingly up at the stable ceiling. Silver hair like spider silk spilled haphazardly down their shoulders. There were stakes shoved through the chests of both vampires, vivid, scarlet blood dribbling down their fronts.

Cloud's heart started racing as he approached. One of the vampires was female, the other male, but both were gorgeous. So gorgeous, that he actually felt a terrible twang of anger at his men for killing them. They were like broken dolls, stringless marionettes, butterflies nailed to the wall by their resplendent wings.

They were fallen angels.

Cloud closed his eyes and breathed deliberately, reminding himself that they were vampires. But even that didn't change his attitude. So what, if they were vampires? Squall was a vampire, and he was in love with Squall. _But they attacked your men_, he told himself. _These ones weren't like Squall. Vampires or not, they attacked your men. What were they supposed to do, but kill them?_

Brusquely, he turned on his heel and marched out of the stable. His men were waiting there, looking expectant and anxious. He gazed at each of their faces in turn, and when he stopped on Axel, he gave a curt, approving nod. "Good work," he said. "Continue the search. There could be more; be on your guard."

The tension fled from his men and some of them even smiled. There was a bout of "Yes sir!"s before they all adjourned. A few strode back to their horses and galloped off to investigate the rest of the fief, while others kept hunting on foot in the immediate area.

Cloud watched them go, and when he was sure no one was paying him any mind, he rubbed his eyes tiredly. Against his will, a cough stole up his throat, accompanied by a splatter of blood.

000

Sora rubbed his chest, where an awful ache had settled. He had a bad feeling. Of course, this was nothing very new, as he'd had a bad feeling for the longest time now. Sometimes, he hardly noticed it; that's what tends to happen, after all, when one deals with something for so long—they grows used to it, and therefore barely notice its presence anymore.

He looked down from his window at the surrounding land. A soft hand touched his shoulder then, and he glanced back to see Kairi watching him nervously.

"Sora, what's wrong?"

He shook his head and returned to gazing out the window. "Nothing."

Kairi and Sora had been spending a lot of time together lately. They didn't sleep in the same bed yet, as it was deemed inappropriate before the wedding. But the wedding was in another week or so, thus that would be changing very shortly. Sora was growing more and more despaired because as soon as he and Kairi were married, he felt like everything was set in stone. There would be no more chances for Riku to visit him—and sure, he hadn't expected Riku to visit him, but…there was still that part of him that hoped, hoped so much that it hurt, that Riku would steal into his room again at night and hold him and kiss him and touch him like he used to. There was a part of him that hoped that that last night they'd spent together wasn't really the last… that there was still a chance for them.

It was foolish, he knew, but so what if he was a fool?

He laughed then, quietly, a little wryly, but laughed nonetheless.

"What is it?" Kairi asked.

"You're marrying a fool," he told her.

"Sora, you're not a fool," she assured him.

"I am," he argued.

"Sora, I know that… I know that you object to this. I'm…" She came to stand beside him, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment before speaking again. "I'm sorry. I know you don't love me. And… And I'm sorry that you're being forced into this."

"Kairi, don't worry about it. It's not your fault; there's nothing either of us can do about it." He felt like he'd told her this a million times before.

"Sora…" Kairi was touching his arm now. "Sora, you…you shouldn't have to do this. You shouldn't! I-I care about you, I do… I might even love you. But if you don't love me, then I don't want you to do this. I don't want you to be unhappy. I can't stand it because you don't smile anymore… I haven't seen you smile in so long… and nothing is worth the loss of that smile, Sora."

"It's beyond our control," he told her, his voice hollow, as if it didn't really believe his own words but was saying them because he knew he had to.

"No, Sora, nothing is beyond our control… we can… we can run away from here. We can find… we can find Riku." Her voice had lowered to a whisper by the end, but Sora had still heard it.

He stilled, and then looked over at her. She'd never mentioned Riku before; he wasn't even aware that she knew about Riku, other than what she'd seen at the celebration feast that night so many months ago. "…Pardon?"

"Riku," she said again, "the one you love…"

"How do you…?"

"Naminé told me," Kairi explained. "That night… she came back to my room, and she told me that I should give up on you, because your heart already had a home with that vampire." Sora was surprised that she didn't say "that vampire" with enmity, as most people would… no, her tone had been soft, matter-of-fact. It wasn't _that vampire_, but just… that vampire.

Sora looked down from the window again, his chest aching. _Riku…_

"I know you love him, Sora. That's why you're always staring out the window, isn't it? You're hoping he'll come back…" Kairi bit her lip again. "I'm sorry… it's my fault… if it weren't for me, you could still be with him…"

"No, Kairi," he sighed, turning to her. "Kairi, it's not your fault. Nothing is your fault. It's… it's just the way life is. Life is foul, and there's nothing we can do to change it. Riku's a vampire, and I'm a Vampire Hunter by birth. Riku's a vampire, and I'm a human, a God-loving Christian. My family hates him, with the exception of one or two…" he mentally flashed on Cloud, and on Naminé, and on Kairi, though she was standing right before him, "and they'll do whatever they can to keep us apart. It's horrible… it's just foul and horrible and I can't stand it anymore… Roxas is dead because of it…!" He bit his tongue to stay it. He didn't want to go there again.

With a deep breath, he finished, "No, Kairi, it's not your fault," and returned to staring out the window. "It's ignorance, that's whose fault it is."

"Timendi causa est nescire?" She managed a meager smile, though it was void of amusement.

Sora mirrored the smile. "Yeah… exactly."

000

The weddings came and went. There was still no sign of Riku. Sora had almost completely given up hope; only in his dreams did hope exist. Not just exist, but _thrive_. He felt guilty every morning as he woke up beside Kairi with Riku's name on his lips. He was sure that Kairi heard him in the night, heard him calling out for Riku, but she didn't say anything. He wished she would show a little anger, a little hate towards him, he wished she would yell at him, scream, shout, hit him… anything so that they didn't have to _pretend _that everything was okay. Pretending hurt more than he'd ever imagined it could. And Sora honestly didn't know how much more pain he could take before it just... killed him.

000

"They're dead."

Riku looked at his brother. "Who?"

"Erastus and Jerusha."

Riku swung down from his perch in the tree and stared evenly at Sephiroth. "Erastus and Jerusha? Dead?" His cousins—they were dead? "How?"

"Vampire Hunters. The knights of that castle where the boy you love lives." Sephiroth looked calm, but Riku could see anger simmering in the depths of his aqua eyes like hellish infernos. Sephiroth had been especially close with Erastus, Riku knew. They'd been more like brothers than cousins, really. Much closer than Riku and Sephiroth had ever been, that was for sure.

"But…where?"

"In a stable on the fief." Sephiroth glared at his brother, though Riku knew the look wasn't really directed at himself more than it was at the world at large. "Do you still think that there's no war coming? These are the first casualties on our side, Riku. More will come. The death of that Hunter boy was an act of war, and even if you don't see it as such, the humans do. We have to take action!"

Riku scowled at Sephiroth. "You take action!" he spat. "I want no part of it."

"Riku…" Sephiroth looked suddenly sad, and not that farce-like sadness, but _sincerely _sad. "Riku… I need your help. Together—together we can take them! We're superior to humans, and yet we hide like cowards! We feed off of their livestock like vermin, when we could be drinking _their_ sweet blood. We have ethics to protect them, yet they do not do the same for us. So why should we even bother in the first place? We have to set this world straight, Riku. We have to bring the vampires to power."

Riku let his brother's words sink in. Maybe Sephiroth was right… maybe it was time for the vampires to rise to power. They were superior to humans, after all, and…

"_Sora…"_

And…

"_Riku, please, get out of here… I don't know what I'll do if I lose you too…"_

And how many times had he wanted so badly to drink from a human, but kept himself in check, to _protect _them?

"_Sora, you won't lose me. I promise, nothing will happen to either of us. I'll protect us."_

Why… Why did they need to protect humans, anyway? The humans hunted them like animals, when they had done _nothing _to the humans—hunted, just because they were different… and yet…

"_You can't promise something like that."_

And yet…

"_I just did. Sora, I love you."_

No…

"_I love you too…"_

Riku looked his brother in the eye. "Go to Hell, Sephiroth."

Sephiroth's sadness fell away like melting snow, and the anger raged again in his eyes, the infernos' flames climbing higher. "Fine. But you'll see… this is a war, Riku, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. People _die_ in wars—a lot of people."

With that, Sephiroth disappeared, and Riku found himself alone in the forest. He wrapped his arms around himself as the stinging scents of smoke, of burning flesh, of blood, filled his nose. He closed his eyes and sank to his knees, trembling.

The air rippled, and Leon's aura trickled into being around Riku.

"I miss him…" he whispered.

Leon nodded. "I know. He misses you too."

Riku took a deep, deliberate breath. "I want to see him…"

"He wants to see you too."

"You've been to the castle?"

"I go there sometimes… usually Cloud comes out to meet me, away from the castle, but I go there sometimes… I'm lucky that he's able to ride out so often, under the pretense of investigating the fief for vampires." Leon shrugged and, his arms crossed, moved towards Riku. "He says that Sora is miserable."

"Is he… Did he get…married?"

Leon nodded, but because Riku's head was down, he added a spoken "Yes," and stepped closer to Riku. "He and Cloud both. He says that Sora's trying to put you behind himself, but, well… he's not being very successful."

"……"

"Cloud's dying…"

Riku finally looked up. "What…?"

"He's sick." Leon tried to appear indifferent. "I don't know how much longer he can hold out… He wanted me to turn him into a vampire."

Riku rose slowly. "Why didn't you?"

Leon gave Riku a vaguely incredulous look. Vaguely, because Leon rarely let emotions slip onto his face. "You wouldn't understand…"

Riku looked slightly indignant. "Why not?"

"Because you were born a vampire. It's not the same… as being turned into one."

"…Do you regret being turned into a vampire?"

"Sometimes." Leon looked out through the trees at the surrounding land. The sky was blue above them, the sun bright.

"You know… the one that turned you…"

"Erastus?"

"Yeah. He's dead."

Leon eyes narrowed into slits of storm clouds. "What?"

"He was killed…by Hunters… not too far from here."

"Wh… What? Why?"

Riku shrugged and rubbed his arms, as if suddenly cold. "Seph said they were killed in a stable not too far from here."

"'They'?"

"Jerusha, too."

Leon's arms fell from his chest. "But… why?"

"I don't know. Erastus and Jerusha never seemed like the type to attack people… but…" He shook his head.

"The world's going to Hell…"

Riku laughed dryly. "It's already there, my friend… It's already there."

000

Sora felt the earth fall out from beneath his feet. And how he wanted to fall with it, to fall and collide with whatever was waiting below, to fall and die. He wanted to die. He had never before wanted so badly to die. He fell to his knees before the coffin, unable to stop the tears flooding his reddened cheeks. Right then, he was shedding more tears than when Roxas had died; funny, how he thought that after Roxas's death he had no more tears to shed in the first place. But no, they were flowing anew, wet and scorching down his face, blurring his vision and consuming his throat so that he couldn't speak. Not that he would speak, even if he could. No, he'd rather scream. Scream at the top of his lungs, scream until his throat was so raw that he started spitting up blood.

Cloud was dead.

And as much as Sora hadn't wanted to believe it when the words first hit his ears, there was no denying now that the body that lay, white and cold, in the coffin was his brother's. The flaxen hair was Cloud's, the beautiful, strong face… if only Sora could see Cloud's eyes. His eyes, that were so like Sora's, but so different in their fierceness. Cloud's eyes had always been the eyes of a warrior, the eyes of a leader. Roxas's had always had a certain frostiness, a bitterness about them, even when he smiled. Sora had been told that his eyes were like the summer sky, warm and brilliant and endless. But all of their eyes had been the same color, just like their fathers.

Sora wished Cloud would open his eyes.

His hands gripped the edge of the coffin so that his fingertips brushed the white satin lining. It felt so soft. He wished that Cloud could feel it too.

"Sora…" A gentle hand landed on his shoulder. He reached up to clasp it, and didn't care that Kairi could probably feel his trembling. The tears refused to relent.

"Sora," Kairi said again, quietly, "I'm sorry…"

Sora shook his head. He ignored her, and instead spoke to Cloud's corpse, brokenly, through his tears. "Y…You sa-said you'd al…always be there f-for me…" he sobbed. "Y-You s-said it, and…and you di-didn't stutter, not once… But you…you _did_ lie! You lied to m-me, Cloud… wh-why would you do that? Wh-Why did you l-leave me… I st-still n…eed you…"

"Sora, it's not his fault," Kairi whispered. "He was sick…"

"Wh-Why didn't you _tell _me!" Sora glanced at Kairi over his shoulder. "He ne-never t…old any of us… he di-didn't…"

Kairi knelt beside Sora and hugged him tightly. "I know, Sora, I know…" She was crying too, not nearly as hysterically as Sora, but crying nonetheless. Sora suspected that she wasn't crying for Cloud, but for him.

Sora turned back to the coffin and stared unseeingly at Cloud's lifeless face. Images from a few days prior kept flashing before his eyes, of the knights riding up, not with Cloud in the lead, but with Axel in the lead and Cloud's body propped limply in front of the redhead. Images of Cloud being rushed into the castle, of his mother screaming, of his father white-faced, horrified. Images of Cloud on his deathbed, not moribund, but already dead. He'd supposedly died out on the fief while they were doing another vampire hunt. Axel had said he'd collapsed, fallen sideways off his horse. It was a miracle he hadn't snapped his neck, but of course at that point, it wouldn't have mattered.

"Cloud…" He pressed his forehead into the side of the coffin and continued to sob.

Another hand landed on his other shoulder, this one larger, stronger than Kairi's. Sora looked up and saw a stormy-eyed brunet standing beside him. He was crying too. Sora thought he seemed familiar, but he was certain he'd never met this man before. He wasn't sobbing like Sora, but tears were steadily rolling down his face. He was quiet in this grief; Sora got the feeling that he was quiet in general.

Another person joined them beside the coffin then—Aerith. She looked so out of her element in black. She glanced over at the brunet and took his hand understandingly. "Are you Squall?" she asked quietly.

The brunet nodded. "Lady Aerith?"

Aerith nodded too. "…Did you…"

Squall looked at her, and tentatively, she met his gaze.

"Did you love him?"

Squall nodded and turned his eyes back on the coffin. "Did you?"

"I did… but I don't think I did…in the same way you did."

Squall nodded again, and Sora felt the brunet's fingers tighten around his shoulder.

"_Did you have sex with a boy last night? …Sora… it's okay, I won't tell anyone. I just want to know…"_

"_Why?" _

"_Because… Because I did the same thing a while ago."_

"_You did?"_

"…_Yes, I did." _

"_With who? …I'm sorry. I don't mean to pry…"_

"_It's okay. It was with…someone I actually barely know. And you?"_

"_Riku."_

"_Riku? That vampire from the feast?"_

"_Yeah. Are you mad?"_

"_Of course not. I'm more concerned… Sora, you can't let it happen again. If you get caught…" _

"_I know. Cloud, I'm scared. I… I love him. Is that wrong?"_

"_Never. Love is never wrong."_

"_Even though he's a boy? Even though he's a vampire?"_

"_Sora… this vampire business… it's nonsense. The Vampire Hunters are a family legacy, not a way of life that every member it's passed down to is doomed to follow. …But you know that, don't you."_

"_I'm just… I'm afraid for him, for myself, for all of us."_

"_I am, too. Sora, don't worry, we'll all get through this together. All right? Never lose faith in that. I'll always be here for you."_

"_Really?"_

"_Of course."_

"You lied…" Sora whispered to himself. He felt a few quizzical stares on his back, but just shook his head. "Cloud, you lied… how could you…?"

"Sora…" Kairi murmured.

Sora shook his head again and pressed it into the side of the coffin once more. "How could you…?"

000

"He's dead," Leon said, leaning against the tree that Riku had once again perched himself in.

Riku looked down at the brunet. "What?"

"Cloud's dead."

Immediately, Riku dropped down out of the tree and stood beside his friend. "Leon, I'm…"

"Don't," Leon said, waving his hand. Then, with that hand, he wiped his face as if he could get rid of the tearstains. "That's not why I'm telling you. Sora… you should go see Sora."

Riku's heart thudded. "Sora…"

"He's a wreck."

Riku vanished without another word.

He reappeared in Sora's bedroom, not caring if there was anyone else there. He wasn't thinking at all. And sure enough, Sora wasn't alone.

"Sora!" Kairi near-shrieked.

Riku ignored her and instead looked around for Sora, his breathing heavy. Sora was standing at his armoire, in the middle of changing his shirt. He dropped the tunic he'd been holding, his eyes wide. "…Riku?"

Kairi had crawled back and was huddled against the pillows on the bed; it seemed her initial panic was beginning to ebb as realization dawned on her, her own widened, purplish eyes beginning to shrink.

Riku swept over to Sora and pulled him close, breathing the brunet's name against his ear. Sora shivered and wrapped his arms around Riku's back. "Riku…"

The door clicked. Sora looked around to find Kairi gone.

Riku bristled, but Sora turned back to him, soothingly petting the sides of his face. "She won't tell…" Sora whispered.

Riku nodded and inclined his head to press it against Sora's. "Sora, I heard…about your brother…"

"…From who?"

"My friend… Leon. Or, Squall."

Sora stared at Riku's mouth, which was achingly close to his, with their foreheads pressed together. "He's…your friend?"

"Yeah…"

"So, he's a vampire too?"

"Mhm."

"Oh… Cloud… didn't tell me that, either…"

Riku shook his head slightly, but not so that it lost contact with Sora's. "I'm sorry that he died."

Sora closed his eyes, which suddenly felt sticky with tears again. "Me too."

"Were you… I mean, were you two close?"

Sora laughed dryly. "You have no idea…"

"You never talked about him much…"

"He was the head of my father's knights…their leader. He was very brave, and strong, and everything I aspired… as_pire_…to be."

"Leon talked about him a lot…"

"Squall? He said he loved Cloud."

"Oh, he did… so much…" Riku closed his eyes and tilted Sora's head slightly so that their mouths were even closer. "Oh, Sora…" Sora shivered at Riku's breath on his lips, which were being covered by Riku's own not but a heartbeat later. Sora melted into the kiss; his blood felt like it was on fire, his heart racing, his breathing ragged. He held on tightly to Riku and this time, he really didn't think he would ever let go.

The kiss brought them to the bed, where Riku laid down and pulled Sora with him. It dragged on for seconds, but the seconds felt too short, time too fleeting. Riku drew back eventually, as he very well knew how long Sora could go without needing to take a proper breath. It was amazing that Riku had enough mind right then to remember such a thing.

Sora looked up at Riku and stroked his hair as tears fell from the corners of his blue eyes. "Riku… I thought you were never coming back…"

Riku smiled sadly. "I wanted to respect your wishes… you told me not to come back."

"It was a stupid thing to say… Riku, I need you." Sora tried to blink his tears away to little avail, so Riku reached up and wiped them away for him. "I don't think I can live without you, either…"

"Sora…"

"Riku, please come visit me again. Like the way you used to… I missed you so much." Sora leaned up and hugged Riku tightly, his eyes falling closed.

Riku nodded and returned the hug. Sora smelled sweetly of incense, probably from Cloud's funeral. "I will, I promise…"

There was a knock on the door then, followed by Kairi's quiet call of "Sora?"

Sora glanced back at the door. "Kairi…?"

"Sora, can I come in? It's only me out here…"

"Yeah, come in."

The door opened, which allowed a slice of orange light from the hallway sconces to cut through the air, and then closed again behind Kairi. She looked shy and uncertain, and Sora held out a hand for her. "Come here," he said. "I want you to meet Riku."

Kairi did so, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. Riku grinned at her and bowed gentleman-like. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he said. He took her hand and kissed it.

Giggling, Kairi blushed and retracted her hand. "Likewise, Sir Riku."

Riku chuckled at that. "Sir Riku… That's a first."

As Sora looked between them, a smile spread across his face. Kairi glanced at him and sighed, "Oh, Sora," in relief, a tear slipping down her cheek.

"What is it?" he asked her, suddenly worried.

"You…" she laughed, "you smiled."

Slowly, Sora understood, and another smile, one of what would be many smiles to come, appeared on his face.

000

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000

**A/N: **…So… is everyone still alive? **:pokes you all: **Congratulations for making it to the end of this incredibly long chapter! If all goes according to plan, the next past-chapter will be the _last _past-chapter… and after that, it's the last chapter, period! Ahhh! It's almost over! **:dies: **

Now…uhm, if it's not too much to ask, review? **:dances for you:**

Oh, and Erastus (boy) and Jerusha (girl) are mine. Even though I didn't do much with them… I suppose I should still mention that. So, if anyone wants them, ask permission. **:shakes finger: **I don't know why anyone would want them, but you never know… there are a lot of things one could do with two pretty vampires. **:nods:**

000


	25. Chapter the Twenty Fifth

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

**A/N: **Woot! Another one done! Again, it's short, but like I said…

The next present-day chapter should be the last. **:bites nails: **I hope everyone likes the ending… I'd hate to write a story that everyone has thus far **s**eemed to love, only to present you all with a horrible ending.

Anyway, on with the show! **:raises curtain:**

000

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000

Sora sat at his desk, pencil between his lips, and dutifully pored over his Math textbook. Geometry, to be exact. He wasn't particularly fond of Math in general, but he had to admit, Geometry was better than Algebra.

The sky outside his window was turning orange. He could smell his mother's cooking from downstairs, and it was becoming somewhat of a distraction as he tried to figure out the length of a shadow cast by a ten-foot tree. _Stupid triangles…_

The phone rang. Sora briefly thought about what a nice diversion from his homework answering the phone would be, but lost his chance when the ringing stopped suddenly and his father's voice drifted up the stairs.

Sora sighed and returned to the problem.

"Sora!"

Sora glanced over his shoulder at his open bedroom door and called back, "Yeah Dad?"

"Come here, please!"

He scooted out of his chair and went to the stairs. His father was waiting at the bottom, the phone pressed to his ear. Sora stepped down a little ways, asking, "What is it?"

"Have you seen… or heard from… Kairi lately?"

Sora thought back. "I…saw her in school today."

Sora's father relayed the information to whoever was on the phone. Sora frowned slightly, confused.

"Was she on the bus home?"

"Uh…yeah." Sora nodded.

Again, his father relayed the information to the caller. "Yes, we'll be sure to… Did you call the Nakaharas?"

Sora frowned more. Why was Naminé's family involved? Something didn't feel right…

"Yes, all right… we'll ask around. I'm sure she's fine. Call us back if anything turns up. Yes… yes, all right. Goodbye."

"Dad…" Sora was almost afraid to ask, and hesitated for a split-second, before plowing on. "Dad, what was that about?"

His father looked up at him and offered what Sora believed was meant to be a reassuring smile. "That was Kairi's mom… apparently, Kairi didn't come home after school."

Sora's heart skipped a beat, and then started racing. His throat felt dry, his head light. "…And?"

"She was just calling to ask if we'd seen her lately… if she'd called here or turned up. But don't worry, I'm sure she's fine." His father didn't really look like he believed what he was saying, as he turned towards the kitchen. Sora's hand was frozen on the railing, gripping it tightly. His father faced him again and gestured for Sora to follow as he went into the kitchen. "Come down for dinner."

Sora didn't think he could eat at a time like this, but regardless, acquiesced, his legs shaking with every step he took down the stairs.

000

Kairi didn't turn up. She stayed missing for the remainder of the week, meaning Thursday and Friday. By the time Friday night rolled around, Sora was a nervous wreck. He wished that Riku would come by; Riku could possibly have a way of tracking Kairi down, some weird magical…something. Anything. There had to be a way…

Oh, if only Riku had a cell phone.

Maybe he had hyper-hearing, like a dog. Would a dog whistle work?

No, Sora didn't have a dog whistle anyway.

"Aghh…" Sora collapsed on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands. He was going insane with worry. His heart was beating fast as he thought about where Kairi might be. The police had been contacted, posters put up—which Sora hated; it made Kairi seem like a lost dog, not a lost _person_, not a lost _daughter_, not a lost _friend_.

Sora ran his fingers through his hair, his hands trembling now. He got up and started pacing his room. Restlessly, he turned on his computer and opened up his email, his instant messenger, anything that Kairi could use to contact him. Anything that would link him to the world, where Kairi was probably alone and lost…

Or, maybe not alone.

Probably, most definitely, not alone.

That was what worried Sora the most.

Who would kidnap her, and why?

He remembered what she'd told him a few nights ago (and it wasn't the first time that he'd recalled it, either). That had been the last time he'd talked to her via the phone. When she'd told him about her nightmare, when she'd hung up on him, sobbing. He felt guilty. He hadn't talked to her much in school the following day, which was the day she'd disappeared. The guilt clawed at his stomach like a ravenous monster, chewing on his innards, making him squirm in his seat.

There was no sign of her in the cyber world. He got up from his desk chair and began pacing some more.

He picked up his phone from his nightstand and called her cell phone. As had proved true for the past few days, it was turned off. Then he ferreted around in one of his many pants' pockets and pulled out his own cell phone. He knew that it was on, and that if someone called him, he'd feel the phone vibrate, but compulsively, he checked it anyway.

Nothing.

He sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed again, raking his fingers through his hair. He couldn't stand this. He couldn't… He _couldn't_… He…

He needed to do something. He needed to get out there, to ask around, to search every corner of the island until she was found… He couldn't just sit there in his room and _wait_—it would drive him up a wall!

"Kairi…" he murmured, his voice tight with distress.

His room was beginning to darken. He hadn't turned on a light, and the sun was going down. He rubbed his eyes as they stung with tears of frustration, of fear. He didn't want the sun to go down yet—he didn't want the night to come. It was more frightening, the thought of Kairi still missing as another day passed. Out there at night, in the dark, alone—

No, not alone. That was what worried Sora the most.

"I know where she is."

Sora nearly jumped right out of his skin. He leapt from the bed and whipped around to face his window, where a figure was leaning against the sill. He had silver hair and aqua eyes, just like Riku—only, he _wasn't _Riku. He was taller than Riku, for one, and his hair was _much _longer, and his eyes…

His eyes were downright petrifying.

He was wearing a long leather trench coat, the collar pulled up around his neck, his hands gloved, his legs bound in more black leather and straps and knee-high boots. He was scary. And when he spoke, Sora caught sight of fangs, just like Riku's.

He was a vampire.

He… Did he just say…?

"You know where Kairi is?" Sora demanded, his surprise quickly overcome.

"Indeed, I do." The stranger pushed himself off the wall and slowly approached Sora in a way that reminded him chillingly of a predatory jungle cat.

"Where?"

The stranger smirked. "Just come with me."

Sora took a wary step back. "Wh-What? Wh… No, I mean… how…? How do I know I can trust you?"

"I'm Riku's older brother," the vampire explained. "My name is Sephiroth."

Sora narrowed his eyes. "Riku's never mentioned you before…"

"There's a lot that Riku's 'never mentioned,' though, isn't there?" Sephiroth's lucid, penetrating eyes glinted and Sora felt suddenly naked.

He recoiled slightly at Sephiroth's words, refusing to admit that they stung a little.

"You can trust me," Sephiroth said soothingly. "I know where your friend is, and I can take you to her before it's too late."

"Too late? What're you—"

Sephiroth held out a gloved hand. "Just come with me."

Sora looked around his room, uncertain. His head was spinning with doubt, with fear. He needed to find Kairi, more than anything, but was this person trustworthy? He did say he was Riku's brother, and the resemblance was unmistakable; Riku was trustworthy, so why should his brother be any different? But that smirk, those eyes… How did Sephiroth know where Kairi was, anyway? How did he know that Kairi was missing? How did he know _who _Kairi was to begin with? None of this sat well with Sora. His eyes shifted to the window over Sephiroth's shoulder, and he caught sight of the still darkening sky.

He didn't have time for doubts.

He had to find Kairi.

And if Sephiroth could take him to her, then so be it.

He sighed. "Hold on." Quickly, he slipped out of his room and down the stairs, where his parents were watching TV in the living room.

His father looked up, concern etched into his soft face. "Sora?" His mother looked up too, her expression similar, if not exactly the same.

Sora smiled reassuringly at them both and faked a yawn. "I just…uhh, wanted to tell you that I was going to turn in early tonight."

His parents' worry sunk further into their faces, but his mother nodded nonetheless. "All right. We'll see you in the morning, Sora." Every word exchanged between them sounded delicate, gossamer, as if they were treading on thin ice, afraid that if they spoke too loudly or too passionately, the ground under their feet would just _shatter_.

He nodded too. "Yeah. Goodnight." He turned to go, but his mother's next words stayed their feet.

"Sora, we love you."

He glanced over his shoulder at them, their warm, familiar faces lit by the flickering TV glare, their mouths smiling but their eyes liquid-like with distress. He smiled back at them. "I love you too."

And with that, he marched back up the stairs. His heart was pounding painfully against his chest, and his throat felt dry again, his breathing stunted. When he arrived back at his room, Sephiroth was still there, waiting. Sora wasn't sure, but he thought he saw something like relief in the vampire's crystalline aqua eyes when Sora entered and closed the door behind him. That smirk from before made another appearance on the vampire's porcelain face, and he reached for Sora. The movement seemed frighteningly deliberate, as if the world was suddenly moving in slow-motion.

Tentatively, Sora took the vampire's hand.

Sephiroth's smirk widened, and without another word, they both vanished on the spot.

000

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000

**A/N: **Wuahaha, plot twist! Any thoughts? Review please!

000


	26. Chapter the Twenty Sixth

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

**A/N: **Wheeeeeee…okay… so I decided. I just couldn't do it in one go, so there will actually be four more chapters, including this one. I think it still works okay… maybe even better than what I'd originally planned.

**W00T! FOUR MORE CHAPTERS! **Aren't y'all excited? **:shot: **Okay, well, maybe not, but anyway…

Oh with the show!

000

* * *

000

**.507 AD.**

After Cloud's funeral, it seemed as if the oppressive weight of death would never be lifted from the castle. Even though life appeared to carry on normally, underneath it all were tearstains that could never be removed and fractured hearts that could never be fixed. The only thing Sora found solace in anymore were Riku's visits.

Naturally, the visits weren't exactly as they used to be, since Kairi shared Sora's bed every night. But neither Sora nor Riku seemed to really care about that; all that mattered was being together.

Sephiroth talked little more of war. Peace seemed to find a home again on Sora's father's land. It was somber, but, it was peace nonetheless. Although Sora felt despairingly lonely whenever Riku wasn't around, he found that he was becoming closer to Kairi and Naminé. Slowly, gradually, but surely enough, they were becoming friends. Sometimes, he even thought that maybe life could return to normal. Roxas and Cloud—two of the people he'd loved most in the world—were gone, but with Kairi and Naminé, and Riku's regular visits, sometimes…life didn't seem so terrible.

Even if it didn't seem feasible for Sora, that life could _possibly_ go on when Roxas and Cloud's had ended, he found that, like it or not, life would go on.

The spring passed quickly, and the summer dragged by with a wave of sweltering heat. The air seemed to have melted, and in so doing, cemented peace into the castle, like mortar cementing bricks. By the time the fall had returned, Sora felt he could smile freely again.

He felt that, perhaps, life really had returned to normal.

000

"You know what this feels like?" Kadaj asked.

Riku glanced at his cousin, a small, amused smile on his lips. "What?"

Kadaj didn't share Riku's amusement, and instead continued to gaze sternly out across the grass. The leaves were changing, the wind was gusting again, cool and soft against their china-doll faces, playfully grabbing at their black tunics and gently pulling at their hair. "It feels like the calm before the storm," Kadaj said at last, just when Riku was beginning to think that maybe he'd forgotten about their conversation.

Riku tilted his head and followed Kadaj's distant stare. "The…calm before the storm…?"

Kadaj nodded and leaned against the stone ruins at their backs. They were on the outskirts of Sora's father's fief, hanging around the crumbling walls of an old and forgotten fortress. A white rabbit hopped by then, and Riku was on it in an instant. He wasn't really that hungry, but anything was a welcome distraction from Kadaj's ominous statement. The rabbit frantically beat its feet against Riku's arms as the vampire straightened and observed it for a moment. He could feel the race of its small heart, smell the blood pulsing through its wriggling body. All struggling ceased when Riku sank his teeth into the creature's neck. Kadaj said nothing.

Riku leaned back against the stone with Kadaj and tossed the bloodied white carcass aside once he'd finished. He passed his cousin a thoughtful, sideways glance. Kadaj was one of Riku's closest cousins. Like almost all of the vampires in their clan, Kadaj had a curtain of silvery silken hair, fair skin, and aqua-blue eyes. Kadaj also had two brothers, Yazoo and Loz.

Loz was built like an ox but acted like a child with his wayward emotions and inclination to cry at inappropriate times. Not to mention, he seemed to have the _intelligence_ of a child, when compared to his much cleverer brothers. Everyone loved him, though. Riku himself couldn't say that he wasn't fond of Loz.

Yazoo was the shrewdest, and oldest, of the three. He was taciturn and soft-spoken, but cunning. He was also remarkably beautiful, his hair long, his body lithe, his face gently curved. He never seemed to let his emotions get the better of him, unlike his siblings.

Kadaj… Kadaj was the youngest brother, though he seemed to have a leader's attitude and was usually viewed as such by Yazoo and Loz. While not as emotional as Loz, he was prone to getting carried away by his heart. Riku would even go as far as to say that Kadaj was emotionally unstable. But he was smart, and he was quick, and he…

He looked up to Sephiroth. Riku couldn't, for the life of him, understand _why_, but Kadaj idolized Sephiroth. Sometimes, Riku wondered if that was the only reason he and Kadaj were close, wondered if Kadaj only valued him because of his relation to Sephiroth. But, at other times, Riku knew that what he and Kadaj had was stronger than that. Not only were they cousins, but they were friends, and had been for as long as Riku could remember.

Which was why he didn't blow off Kadaj's words. _The calm before the storm. _Riku shivered, but played it off as a chill from the wind when Kadaj looked at him curiously.

000

Food was becoming scarce around the castle. With the heat of summer came dry soil and the death of most of the serfs' crops. The winter was coming upon them again, and the people in the castle were getting restless. Some of them blamed the vampires, claimed sabotage. Others with more sense in their heads stayed quiet and worried amongst themselves in hushed voices. Sora still overheard their conversations and started to worry himself.

As the summer drew to a close, Sora turned sixteen.

Kairi obligingly spent the night in Naminé's room while Sora and Riku celebrated.

When Sora awoke in the morning, Riku was still there, sleeping peacefully beside him.

Sora started crying. He tried to be quiet, but his sniffles and hiccups immediately roused Riku from sleep. He sat up slightly, his expression one of concern, and pulled Sora tightly against him. "What's wrong?" he asked, quietly, and kissed the saline tears from Sora's face.

Sora shook his head and laughed through his crying. "Absolutely nothing. I…actually, I've never been happier…"

Riku understood, and smiled. He leaned forward, and in the light of day that spilled like honey through Sora's window, kissed his lover. Something about it just tasted so…sweet; Sora wouldn't let Riku go when he tried to pull away.

Eventually, they parted, and Riku sat up in bed. Sora took a moment to marvel at Riku's bare upper body, which brought a grin to Riku's face. He touched Sora's lips, and asked, "How are you feeling?"

Sora smiled and rubbed one of his eyes. "I'm a little hungry, but otherwise…"

"I can get you some food," Riku offered. "I'm sure I can find some somewhere…" His eyes drifted to the window, but didn't stay there long as the sunlight started to make him itch.

Sora shook his head and took Riku's arm to try and pull him back down. "You don't have to do that… I'm sure breakfast is waiting for me downstairs…"

Riku smiled fondly and bent over to present Sora with another kiss. "All right. I like doting on you though…"

Sora giggled. "I like being doted on by you."

"I would give you everything in the world you've ever wanted…" Riku whispered as he slid back down under the blankets beside Sora.

Sora blushed slightly, still smiling, and brushed his lips against Riku's. "You _are _everything in the world I've ever wanted."

Riku grinned and tucked one of his arms under his head. "Well then, I suppose my work here is done."

Sora laughed again. "Well, I don't know about that…" he murmured slyly as he rolled over on top of Riku. He squirmed a bit, which promptly caused Riku's whitish skin to ignite with a faint flush.

"S-Sora…" he sighed, closing his eyes briefly. When they opened again, he looked at Sora and pulled the brunet's head down for a kiss. "Sora…"

Celestial blue eyes gazed unblinkingly up at the vampire. "Yes?"

Riku exhaled softly and smiled. "Happy birthday."

There came a knock at the door then. Sora's head twitched towards the sound, and he called, "Who is it?"

"It's us," a familiar female voice responded.

"Kairi? Naminé?"

The door opened a crack to allow a slice of cornflower-blue to show. Naminé's smile was evident, even in that small part of her eye. "The very same," she replied.

Sora grinned and rolled off of Riku, much to the vampire's displeasure. Sora sat up in bed and made sure the blankets were sufficiently covering him before inviting the girls in.

Kairi closed the door behind them and smiled gently at Sora. The brunet could see glimmers of amusement in her expression, however, as she looked at the two on the bed. "Sora, it's time for breakfast," she said.

Sora shook his brown spikes and nodded. "All right. I'll be along in a moment."

Satisfied, Kairi and Naminé turned to leave. Before they were out of sight, Kairi said quickly, "I'm glad you two enjoyed yourselves last night," and then hastened out of the room. Their muffled giggles were heard for a moment until they disappeared down the hall.

Sora was blushing again, but with a smile. Riku sat up and kissed Sora's cheek. "I guess I better go…" he murmured.

Sora sighed, but nodded. "I guess so…"

"I'll see you again soon, don't worry."

Sora nodded again and held the side of Riku's face as he gave him a kiss. "I'll be waiting."

"I know." Riku returned the kiss tenderly, and briefly. Sora was only aware of Riku's absence when a chill hit his lips.

With another sigh, he got out of bed and set to the task of dressing for the day.

000

Winter was fast approaching again. It was the end of fall when Sora awoke in the middle of the night. For a second, he sat upright in bed, his heart pounding, his head spinning as he wondered what had startled him from his sleep. He didn't have to wait long for his question to be answered as a scream pierced the otherwise serene nighttime air.

Sora was out of bed in a heartbeat.

He ran out of his bedroom and down the corridor towards his parents' bedroom, where he was sure the scream had come from. It had sounded like his mother. As he ran, his mind continued to spiral and whirr uncontrollably, confused, disturbed. The last thing he remembered was Riku kissing him goodbye before leaving his room for the night. Kairi, smiling, had murmured her own goodnight, and together they'd curled up in bed, the blankets cocooned around them as a shield against the blustery autumn chill…

Speaking of Kairi, Sora realized then that she was calling his name, and he could hear the gentle patter of her feet against the stone behind him. He didn't stop or turn around, but kept running. Why was his parents' room so far away? For now, he forgot about the times when he was glad for the distance because it made being with Riku at night that much easier; right now, it seemed like the corridor stretched for eternity and a day.

There was another scream. And another, and then finally—nothing.

Sora stopped outside of his parents' bedroom, stared up at the solid oak doors, and then without another moment's hesitation, barged through them.

The first thing that hit him was the smell of blood, and then a flash of silver hair, a glint of aqua, a shimmer of white skin. And then the figure was gone, and Sora found himself alone with two bodies laying inert, one on the bed, one against the wall beside the window.

Sora's heart had ceased to beat, his lungs to function. That must have been why his head was still spinning; not enough oxygen.

But he didn't have time to ponder over that.

A loud, horrified gasp sounded behind him. Sora knew it was Kairi who'd just arrived upon the scene, and he could hear others coming down the hall, the quiet thundering of many feet on the stone floors, but all of this only registered with him subconsciously.

Slowly, he approached the body that was propped puppet-like beneath the window. An orange flame flickered over his shoulder, and he looked up fleetingly to see Kairi and Naminé there, both holding candles. The moon outside was only a sliver and too small to provide much light. With the glare from the candles, Sora turned to look at the face of the motionless figure, though he already thought he knew who it was.

His stomach turned nauseatingly when his suspicions were confirmed.

It was his father.

Sora screamed. Already kneeling, he didn't have far to go as he collapsed, as he _crumbled_, his hands fisting the sides of his head, his eyes screwed shut. _He's dead he's dead he's dead _was the mantra churning in his mind, dominating all other thoughts so that it became omnipresent within his skull. He knew, he just _knew_, that his father was _dead_. His father's eyes, endless and unfathomably blue like his son's, were open and staring lifelessly at the ceiling, as if gazing through it towards the heavens. His face was pale and looked sickeningly wan in the dancing orange candle flames around Sora. There was blood oozing from two puncture wounds on the side of his neck. Which could really only mean one thing, though Sora didn't want to—though Sora _couldn't _believe it…

"Vampires!" someone in the room bellowed. The frantic murmurs increased in volume and tempo, so that they grew to be maddening, like the buzzing of a beehive, in Sora's ears. He shook his head as his hands continued to clutch the sides of it. Tears had sprung into his eyes, and he squeezed them shut tighter, as if he could keep the tears there. Rebelliously, a few escaped; they slid down his face, dripped off his chin, and dotted the floor.

People were talking louder now. All Sora could hear was a jumble of words that made no sense to him at all. Kairi's hand was on his shoulder, but he could barely feel it. His own hands moved from their painful grip on his hair to cover his ears as she tried to talk to him. He closed his eyes so tightly that it hurt and caused flashing stripes to streak across the blackness inside. His heart was pounding, his throat dryer than the desert, his mouth likewise parched, his breath thin—his head spun, and his surroundings began to blend into each other, and the tears started to fall (he just couldn't hold them back anymore) and he was almost sure his heart was going to escape from his chest at any moment, pop out and drop to the floor where it would jump like an oversized flea with how fast it was beating and _this isn't real it's just a horrible nightmare I'll wake up soon Riku where are you? _and then—

He passed out cold.

000

Riku appeared in Sora's room the next night, oblivious to the events of the night before. He was greeted by Kairi's tearstained face and Sora fast asleep on the bed.

Kairi rose slowly from her place on the window seat. Riku was taken aback at the broiling, angry thoughts he felt surging through her mind. "Wh…What?"

"Get of here!" she hissed at him.

Riku took a wary step back, eyes widened. "What are you talking about? What happened? What…"

"He's been through too much; the sight of you will only make things worse!" Kairi glared at Riku through glassy purplish eyes.

"Kairi…what…"

"His parents are dead!"

Riku started. "What?"

"They were killed by vampires last night," Kairi explained, her tone lowering as if suddenly remembering that Sora was sleeping just a few feet from them.

Riku's eyes widened further. "_What?_"

Kairi's glare held fast. "You heard me! Sora doesn't want to see you—_I _don't want to see you! Get out of here!" Then, quite suddenly, she collapsed, her face in her hands as she started to sob.

Riku went to her side and knelt down, touching her shoulder. "Kairi… I…"

"G-Get out!" she demanded through her tears.

"Kairi, I had nothing to do with it—"

"It looked just like you!" She looked up at him, her eyes pink, her face gleaming and flushed.

"What?"

"The vampire… it looked just like you! It had… It had your hair, and your eyes—Sora told me!"

Shakily, Riku got to his feet. "Kairi, I had _nothing _to do with it—I…"

"Get out," she said for the umpteenth time, now sounding more tired than angry. Sora stirred on the bed and groaned in his sleep. Riku looked over at the brunet and made to go to him, but Kairi grabbed his wrist. "Please, Riku, not now… please get out of here. He can't see you right now… He's exhausted. He needs to rest… h-he…"

Riku's brow was knit with pain, but he nodded. Within moments, he'd disappeared into thin air.

000

Sora rested his chin on his laced fingers and gazed sightlessly at the floor in his father's study. He inhaled brokenly and rubbed his eyes, which now constantly stung with impending tears. They'd stopped falling, though, which Sora was somewhat grateful for.

Axel, sitting on the arm of the couch that Sora had occupied, crossed his arms. "We have to do something about this," he declared to the room at large. "We can't let the vampires continue to rampage like this, or before we know it, we'll all be dead!"

"Axel!" a scar-faced, one-eyed knight barked. Xigbar cast Sora a worried glance, and then returned to glaring at the redhead.

"What?" Axel matched Xigbar's angry gaze with one of his own. "It's the truth! There's no point in sugarcoating it; we're all adults here now."

"Sora's not an adult yet," Xigbar argued, and a few of the others in the room murmured their agreement.

Axel held his arms out and said, "He's the lord of the castle now, and not only should you _address_ him as such, Xigbar, but you should _treat _him as such."

"But he—"

"What," a cold voice interrupted, "are we going to do about the vampires? They're still terrorizing the fief, they've killed three of us already—we can't let them carry on like this."

Axel nodded to Saïx. "My point exactly."

"None of this would have happened if Sora hadn't let that one monster in like he did," someone remarked.

Sora glanced up sharply at the speaker; Demyx actually seemed taken aback at the fire in Sora's normally smiling eyes. Sora said nothing.

Axel shook his head at Demyx. "Whether that's true or not doesn't matter. If you ask me, I think this was all just a catastrophe waiting to happen, and there's nothing we could've done to stop it, regardless. And now that it's upon us, we have to take care of it swiftly."

Demyx leaned back in his chair, looking annoyed now.

"We have to find out where they're based," Xigbar said.

"Yes," a serene, gray-haired young knight concurred. "Every vampire that we've come into contact thus far has resembled that first one, who Sora danced with at the feast. Silver hair, blue-green eyes, pale skin. I can't believe that that's just mere coincidence; they must all be related, and they must all have a…a headquarters, of sorts, somewhere."

The others in the room nodded or murmured their agreement.

"But how do we find it?" Axel asked.

Everyone exchanged glances. No one had an answer, and silence filled the room.

"I'll find it."

All heads turned in Sora's direction. He was resting his chin on his fingers again, his gaze trained on the floor. His eyes were oddly blank, and whether they were void of emotion, or just carefully guarded, one couldn't tell.

"How?" Demyx wondered.

"That vampire, who I danced with at the feast. I'll find out through him."

Axel's eyebrows rose. "The one…that killed Roxas?"

Sora nodded. "The same."

The redhead slid off the arm of the couch to face Sora fully. "You're still in contact with him?" he hissed.

Sora nodded again. Not once did he take his eyes off the floor, not once did his stony façade waver.

"Axel, please remain calm," Zexion said. "We can't afford to let these personal grudges and quarrels blind us from our ultimate purpose. We're in the midst of a war here, and so far, the vampires are winning, three to two. We have to keep our heads and think things through… we have to strategize, we have to _plan_. Reckless action doesn't win a war."

Sora rose from his seat and finally looked up, meeting Zexion's eyes first, and then Axel's. "He's right. We can't let our emotions get in the way."

Axel, his teeth gritted, looked like he wanted to say something else, but before he had the chance, Sora was on his way out the study. He left without another word, without so much as a backwards glance, and let the heavy door close securely shut behind him.

Sora's feet took him along the corridor of their own volition. He didn't know where they were going, nor did he care. His eyes drifted from window to window as the passed them, and before he knew it, he found himself standing before one, looking down into the courtyard below.

A flash of golden hair caught his eye, and his heart jumped. The golden hair framed a familiar face, which held a familiar smile, a familiar pair of blue eyes. Sora's vision started to blur as he watched Roxas in the courtyard. Sora saw himself there, too. A younger version of himself, that he felt so alienated from now, because that younger version of himself was so _happy_. Smiling, as he sparred with Roxas in the courtyard under the afternoon sun. Sora lunged at his cousin with his practice sword, and missed horribly as the blond gracefully ducked out of the way.

"_Clumsy as ever, Sora!"_

They were sitting on the grass now, taking a break from their swordplay.

"_What're you talking about? I came _this close _to beating you, and you know it!"_

"_Yeah, but you're missing the key factor here, Sora—you _didn't _beat me."_

"_But I will, you just watch."_

They laughed. Sora's vision swam, and he rubbed furiously at his eyes. When next he looked out the window, he saw another person standing with Roxas and himself. Cloud smiled at them and ruffled Sora's hair as he told him that his swordsmanship was really improving. He looked so proud. The younger Sora grinned happily.

Sora felt the fragments of his already shattered heart drive deeper into his core.

But he wouldn't cry… he couldn't cry anymore. He just couldn't.

His parents strolled out into the courtyard then, regal and gorgeous. His mother, with her blonde hair so like Cloud's, her gentle smile, her delicate laugh. His father approached the boys and asked them how their practice was coming.

The corners of Sora's mouth twitched upwards as he watched the phantoms below. The smile that appeared wasn't happy, though. It was wistful, reminiscent, but not happy. It was broken, tattered, tired, watery… bejeweled with tears.

Tears?

Sora reached up with a trembling hand and touched his face. He was crying.

His knees gave out then, and he collapsed against the windowsill, his head buried in his arms as he sobbed. He could still hear his father's voice in his ears, and a lullaby that his mother used to sing to him when he couldn't fall asleep, and Roxas's laughter, and Cloud's words of praise. He wished they would all go away, he wished they would stop haunting him, he wished…

A breeze touched his hair. He looked up, overcome suddenly with the notion that it was someone's hand. But no, he was alone. He looked down from the window again; the ghosts were gone.

He was truly alone.

He wondered if a fall from that height would be enough to kill him.

000

Sora sat at his bedroom window by himself that night; he'd asked Kairi to stay with Naminé again. He expected Riku to come.

Sure enough, Riku appeared.

Upon spotting Sora, he rushed to his side, wrapped him in his arms, held him close, whispered nonsense in his ear. Sora let himself be held, but did little else. Even when Riku kissed him, he barely reacted.

Riku drew away and searched his face in the scarce moonlight, his own adorned with an expression of raw concern and a bit of fear. "Sora…?"

Sora was a like a ragdoll in his arms. It was terrifying.

"Sora, say something," Riku pleaded. He started to tremble. Did Sora really blame him for his parents' death? Did Sora hate him? Was this the end? Did…

"Riku…"

All thought processes ceased, all attention paid to Sora's mouth, waiting with bated breath for more.

Sora looked away from Riku. "I can't do this anymore…"

Riku froze as a sickening wave of déjà vu rolled over him. "What, Sora? You can't do what?"

"Live."

Riku's heart picked up speed. "Sora… don't say things like that."

"But, I mean it, Riku…" Sora shook his head, his eyes empty, his voice distant, quiet, almost a whisper. "I can't live anymore… Riku, everyone's dying. How is it possible to have the will to live when everyone's dying around you?"

Riku shook Sora gently by the shoulders, as if to snap him out of whatever spell had possessed him. "Sora, don't… don't say things like that!"

A spark of emotion flared to life in Sora's eyes, a spark of cold, dark despair. "Riku… I can't! I want to die, Riku… I want to die, and be with the people I love again…! They've all left me…" His words quivered. "They've all left me… how could they?" Tears seeped out onto his lashes, try as he might to bid them away. "Why should I keep living when it brings me nothing but pain? Why should _I keep living _when everyone else dies? Why can't I follow them? Don't I have the right!"

"Sora!" Riku shook his head, desperate. "Sora, please… What about me?"

"What _about _you?"

Riku blinked, stung by Sora's words. His voice lowered, suddenly unsure. "Can't you live for me? I love you, Sora, and I'm still here! I won't leave you. I won't go away… isn't that enough?"

Sora bit his lip, trembling. "R-Riku…"

"I can't stand it to hear you talk like that… Sora… you're so beautiful… you don't deserve all of this pain. You deserve to be happy! Do you know what it's like to see you smile? Do you know…" Riku's hands fell away from Sora, and the vampire took a small step back.

"Riku…"

Riku looked up and met Sora's gaze.

"Riku, we're in the middle of a war…"

For a second, Riku was sure his heart stopped beating. "…Wh…What…? Sora… Sora, not you too!"

Sora drew back from Riku, placing more distance between them. "Riku, a vampire killed my parents. Was he from your family? Your clan?"

"I…don't know."

"Riku," Sora's voice hardened, "I can't forgive him for killing my parents."

Stunned, Riku said nothing for a long moment. Then, he spoke, softly, sounding frightened, "Sora, I'll fix it. We'll… We'll find a way to fix this, I promise."

Sora shook his head, his expression pained. "I don't… I don't think there's a way to 'fix it,' Riku."

"There is," Riku insisted. "I know there is… I'll find it. Please, trust me Sora… I don't know all of the details, but I'll fix it."

"A negotiation."

"What?"

Sora spoke slowly, thoughtfully, as if the idea had just struck him. "Choose… choose someone, maybe one or two vampires, from your clan… and send them here. We'll negotiate with them. We'll try to end this peacefully…"

Riku almost couldn't believe his ears. He was overcome with a refreshing wave of relief, and a smile bloomed on his face. "Sora… we can do this. I know we can…"

Sora didn't seem to share in Riku's joy, and instead stared wordlessly out the window that was now a few feet from him. After a moment, he nodded. "We can."

Riku's elation deflated somewhat, and he said, "Sora… everything will be okay." He closed the distance between them, but Sora seemed to shy away when he approached. Hurt, Riku added quietly, "I promise."

Sora was silent. Riku went to the window and looked out at the nighttime. With a quiet sigh, he prepared to leave, but suddenly Sora whispered, "You can't promise something like that."

Riku glanced back at Sora and replied, "I just did," before vanishing on the spot.

Sora went to the window; he could still smell Riku there. He wanted to cry again, but didn't have the energy. Of its own accord, his hand reached up and clasped the crown amulet around his neck.

000

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000

**A/N: **Ne, ne, ne? Well? Like, hate? Too much death? Not enough? **:cough: **Well, it _is _the Medieval Times, folks. Death was all the rage back then. :D;; ANYwho, review, pweeez!

000


	27. Chapter the Twenty Seventh

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

**A/N: **Wheee, here's the next present-chapter. 9 pages! W00T! Enjoy. :) Two more to goooo…

000

* * *

000

Riku dropped silently down from the branches of a tree and fell into the dark, quiet realm of the nighttime forest. He'd sensed her here, Lulu. He needed to talk to her. The spell, the spell was all wrong… it had to be the spell…

He could feel her aura nearby. Swiftly and quietly, like a jungle cat on the hunt, he moved through the trees until he broke through the edge of the forest. There, on the long stretch of grass that led to the local cemetery, the figure of a woman stood, her features highlighted by the light of the moon.

It wasn't Lulu.

Riku approached the woman slowly, carefully. "Who are you?" he demanded.

She met him halfway, and with the closer proximity he could make out short, brown hair, pretty, round features, mismatched eyes. "I'm Yuna," she introduced herself, and her voice was calm, soothing. Riku's defenses fell a little. "Are you Riku?"

Riku nodded carefully as he eyed Yuna with wariness.

She took his shoulders, looking suddenly desperate. "Riku, did you commission Lulu to put a spell on someone?"

Riku shook her hands away, scowling. His defenses immediately built themselves back up. "Yeah. What of it?"

"Riku," Yuna's voice was so despaired, "you have to stop this! Lulu told me everything…"

Riku snarled, baring his fangs. "That bitch…"

"I used a truth-inducing powder on her… I spread it around her room. It wasn't her fault." Why she was defending Lulu was beyond her, but Yuna did it anyway. "Please, Riku, you can't hurt this boy."

"Why not?"

"Because, it's wrong! He hasn't done anything to you—"

"He killed my entire clan! That's not wrong? He slaughtered my family, practically single-handedly! He seduced me, he tricked me! He betrayed me! I…" Riku's voice broke as his eyes stung with ancient tears, "…I trusted him, I gave everything to him!" The tears were in his voice now, making it waver and crumble. "I loved him, and he betrayed me!"

"Riku, that has nothing to do with this boy now. Think about it! He doesn't know! He doesn't know about what happened in his past life; it's like taking out your anger on a completely different person! You're taking away his _life_, Riku! This life, here, now—it can never be replaced! You're _killing _him! Doesn't that mean _anything _to you? How can you just take the light of an innocent life and snuff it out! You're _killing him!_" She couldn't stress that enough, completely horrified by the thought that someone would just _do _that. "You're killing his hopes and dreams and…his heart! You'll be making his family and friends suffer… Do you want anyone to suffer like he made you suffer? How can you wish that on another human being—"

"I'm a vampire, God damn it! I don't care about these humans… their lives are fleeting; they'll only be suffering a second in comparison to how long I have to suffer… I have to live for eternity with a broken heart, with a mangled spirit… I have to live forever with the memories of the blood and the pain! _I _have to live forever—_alone_!" The tears rolled down Riku's face, wrenching themselves from his throat in ragged sobs. He covered his mouth in an attempt to stifle the demeaning noise, but it did no good.

Yuna spared him no sympathy. "You selfish bastard! Why do you think you have the right to take him away? Why do you think you have the right to take away someone's _son_, someone's _friend_!"

"Because _he_ took away _my_ family! He took _himself_ away from me! He—"

"He, he, he, _he_! That was fifteen-hundred years ago! When you say 'he' you're talking about someone who lived and died fifteen-hundred years ago! Stop living in the past, Riku! You can't kill this boy; he's innocent—"

"His soul is tainted! His soul is the same mass murderer from fifteen-hundred years ago! He may not have done anything in this lifetime, but in his heart he's a killer. He's a backstabber, a heartbreaking backstabber! There is innocent blood on his hands—"

"So will be true for you if you go through with this!" Yuna was crying now, and trembling. "I'm so afraid," she murmured, clutching an amulet around her neck. "I'm so afraid to think that I'm the only person standing between you and this boy's life… Please, don't do this! You can't kill him! He was born into this lifetime innocent, pure… He loves you!"

"No he doesn't," Riku bit out. "It's the spell… It's the effects of the spell…"

"No, it isn't. Riku, magick is powerful but can only do so much! If it was really just the effects of the spell, it would have worn off by now. Magick constructed on hate and baleful intent isn't stable." She thought back to what Lulu had said, about the effects of the spell being too deeply rooted, about it being unable to be undone. It wasn't true; it couldn't be true. "Riku, light conquers darkness—"

Riku made a derisive sound. "Spare me," he scoffed.

Yuna glared at him. "Light conquers darkness," she continued. "There's no way that his love for you could have lasted this long if it was only the effect of that spell, that spell wrought with ill will and jealousy and sinful desire and a lust for revenge. His love for you is honest, it's good!"

"How do you know? Do you even _know_ Sora? You speak like you're his older sister or something."

"I… I've seen him before. This island," she looked out down the slope of the hill where the cemetery was perched, looked over the cozy rooftops of the islanders' homes, looked out over the ocean beyond, "is a very intimate place. It's likely that everyone on this part of the island has seen one another at least once before. I've seen that boy around, the boy with the heart-shaped face and the bright smile, brown hair and blue eyes…" She turned back to Riku. "He's done good things in this community; he used to volunteer at the beach as a junior lifeguard… did you know that? He was so attached to the children that came to the beach to play; they all loved him. He does good in school, gets good grades. I've talked with his mother in town before… she told me once that her son wants to be a doctor when he gets older, or something that puts him in the position to help people and possibly save their lives." Her gaze hardened again and pinned Riku with a virulent arrow of accusation. "Did you know that, Riku?"

Riku averted his gaze; the moon reflected off the tear tracks staining his face.

"No, you didn't," Yuna decided. "You don't know anything about this boy, the one who was born into this lifetime with a clean slate, a pure heart! If you kill him, you'll be destroying one of the beautiful souls that are becoming so rare in this world! Riku, you can't!"

"I can, and I will." Riku gave no further argument and fled into the shadows of the forest.

Yuna looked up at the moon, and then sat down and sobbed.

000

Riku stormed down the beach, kicking sand as he went. _That wench, what the fuck does she know? _he inwardly fumed. _Sora doesn't love me; he's under a spell. And I don't love him; I'm pretending, I'm pretending like he did those thousand-some years ago. I'm doing _exactly _what he did. Gaining his trust, slipping past his defenses, claiming his heart, just so that I can crush it into a bloody pulp. I'm avenging my clan, I'm avenging my family… I'm avenging Sephiroth, because he'd been right all along, and I never believed him! I was foolish, I was blind, I was…_

_In love,_ the little voice at the back of his mind chimed in.

Riku stopped in his tracks and let out a frustrated howl that reverberated over the black ocean beside him.

_A dry laugh. "You don't understand, do you?"_

Panting, he pulled at his hair, kicked at the sand.

"_U-Understand what…?"_

His chest was aching; he felt like there was a parasite nested behind his ribcage, chewing through his insides, leaking acid onto his heart. He briefly imagined clawing through his skin, his bone, just to dig that parasite out. The gory picture was enough to make his stomach turn.

"_Sora, when someone—especially a human—makes love with a vampire—"_

_A squeak._

"—_they have to understand that the vampire is giving that person more than just their body. They're giving them their trust, entirely and completely. Because vampires are most vulnerable when they're naked. It means that all seven Deadly Sin markings are exposed and free to be exploited—"_

A dry sob heaved itself from his mouth, and he sank to his knees on the beach.

"'_Exploited'?"_

"_Yes. The markings are…so sensitive, you can easily knock down a vampire's defenses by touching them, especially all of them within a short time span. Like buttons, almost. And when a vampire is naked, all seven are exposed at once, all of them are vulnerable._

Slowly, his eyes opened (when they'd closed, he couldn't remember) and drifted out over the ocean, to the horizon, then to the sky, and the moon.

"_Sin is the greatest weakness in this world, you know,…it's the greatest weakness of man. Pride, greed, envy,…sloth,…gluttony,…lust,…anger… They are all weaknesses, each in their own way. Sora, by baring myself to you, I would be giving you everything."_

Yes…this was the place, wasn't it?

_Sora started crying. "Why, Riku?"_

The place where, not too long ago, he and Sora had sat after their evening in the club.

"_Why…what?"_

The moon was a little smaller now, but still bright and dramatic against the dark nighttime backdrop.

"_You said… When you first met me a month ago, you said that we used to make love every night that we were together. Why would you…place so much trust in me?"_

Riku stared at the moon, at its white aureole against the black sky. "'Light conquers darkness,'" he murmured.

"…_Because…I loved you…"_

"Heh," he snorted, scoffing.

"_And…do you love me now?"_

"…_Yes."_

"Bullshit."

Riku turned away from the moon, his face swathed in shadow as he stared the opposite way, towards Sora's house. Suddenly, a gently ripple of energy washed over him, stemming from that direction.

"_Riku…_"

He heard it on the wind, a phantom of his name. It caressed his cheek, made him shiver, and then it was gone. It had sounded like Sora. Sora was calling for him.

He immediately disappeared on a passing breeze.

When next his feet touched solid ground, little more than a split-second later, he was in Sora's bedroom.

Sora was sitting on the edge of his bed in apparently nothing but a very long t-shirt that, despite its length, really only came down to mid-thigh. And as Sora was seated, the hem was riding up a little. Of course, Riku noticed all of this straight away.

Sora smiled upon seeing Riku and immediately got up off the bed, padding over to the vampire. "Riku," he breathed, and put his arms around Riku once he was in range.

Riku smiled at Sora and smoothed his hair back away from his face. The light from the window played on Sora's utterly lazuline eyes, gave them the impression of a star-speckled twilight sky in the shadows of his dark room. Riku was briefly reminded of those many nights in Sora's room, in the castle. His smile melted into a wistful one, and slowly, he leaned down to kiss the brunet.

Sora's mouth rushed up to meet his and collided with it in a fierce kiss that surprised Riku, that stole his breath right from his lungs. It was a soul-stealing kiss, teeth, tongue, lips, incredibly demanding, incredibly _hot_. Riku reeled backwards slightly from the force, but promptly returned the kiss and pulled Sora flush against him. Sora's fingers reached up and fisted Riku's silver hair as the brunet tilted his head, deepening the contact.

Then Sora turned them around and walked Riku to the bed, still fused at the mouth. The backs of Riku's legs hit the mattress and he fell back onto it, Sora on top of him. Sora tore his lips away from Riku's, straddling the vampire's waist and rocking his hips slightly. Riku hissed, his eyes closing, head rolling back, spine arching. Once he was able to overcome the tingles of pleasure zinging through his body, he pushed himself up a little, panting, flushed, heart pounding, mind spinning, and looked at Sora. Sora's pouty lips were smirking.

Something didn't feel right.

Sora leaned down and kissed Riku again as he pushed his hips into the vampire's again. Riku groaned. His arms lifted and laced themselves around Sora's neck, his disquiet swept away on a small wave of ecstasy. Before he knew it, Sora was nibbling on his throat, his hands roaming downwards and into Riku's pants.

The disquiet returned with a vengeance.

Riku forced Sora away, grudgingly, but nonetheless. "Sora," he gasped, "what are you doing?"

Sora looked down his nose at Riku, his eyes suddenly stygian, and not just from the shadows of the room. He laughed, and the sound that came from his throat was deep, luxurious, thick and sweet, like melted dark chocolate. And it was distinctly feminine.

Riku shoved "Sora" off of him and sat up, eyes fierce and angry. "Lulu!" he hissed.

"Sora" had fallen to the floor, but was rising to "his" feet again. Those not-blue eyes gazed coolly, complacently down at Riku. Hands reached up and smoothed over soft, cinnamon spikes, and in the wake of the gesture long, dusky locks spilled free around a face that was no longer heart-shaped, no longer Sora. A moment later, Lulu was standing before Riku, still wearing the t-shirt that was now even smaller and tighter, not long enough to cover Lulu's black-lace panties anymore. She was smirking.

Riku glared harder and stood abruptly from the bed. "Where's Sora?" he demanded.

"Hush now, Riku, or you'll wake the parents," Lulu cooed, arms crossed.

Riku approached Lulu, and suddenly his hand shot out and wrapped around her throat. She seemed a little startled, but quickly regained her composure when she realized that the grip on her neck wasn't life-threatening. Yet, anyway. "Where. Is. Sora," Riku repeated. Anger roiled through his blood; he swore his veins were on fire. And it didn't bother him, not in the least.

Lulu wasn't smirking anymore, but her complacent air hadn't dissipated. "With your darling brother, of course," she replied.

Riku's grip faltered, eyes widening. "What?"

"He's with Sephiroth. It's time, Riku." She seemed suddenly excited, a grin stretching her purple lips. "It's time to exact your revenge. Your brother is here to help! He's been waiting, just as you have." Riku's arm fell away from Lulu. She rubbed her neck absently, and her excitement seemed only to grow. "It's time," she whispered.

Riku stared at her, horrified. Sephiroth. He was…back? He was really back? No! He couldn't be… He'd died! He'd died with the rest of their family those thousand-some years ago! He had to have… he…

With another look at Lulu's dark eyes, Riku knew.

Leon and Vincent…they'd been right.

Riku wasn't breathing. He touched his throat, and as if his fingers possessed some sort of magic, air flew back into his lungs. He shook his head to dispel the spots that had consumed his vision. The room was spinning.

"It's time…" Lulu whispered again. Her words were like an arctic gust against his ears.

Riku shook his head once more, this time in a negative gesture. He continued to stare at Lulu, incredulous. "Sephiroth…" he breathed.

She nodded, grinning.

"No…"

Sephiroth.

Sora.

Sephiroth had Sora. Sora was in danger. Riku's heart twisted itself into a knot, so that he gasped at the pain. Then, he shot up from the bed, grabbed Lulu's arm, and vanished on the spot.

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**A/N: **Dundundunnnn… another filler-ish thing here, but it's leading up to something, of course. xD Review!

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	28. Chapter the Twenty Eighth

**Deadly Desire**

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

**A/N: **Ermmm.... *checks 'last updated' stats**whistles* A whole year, eh? Ehheheh... yes, well, I am so, so, so, so, so **sorry** for that T_____T it's practically inexcusable, I know, and anyone reading this A/N right now, you are _saints_ and you all deserve **cake** and **cookies** and **plushies** and **my eternal gratitude**.

My best excuse is that, September 2007, I was captured by the **Junior Year Dragon**, which took me into its lair and forced me to do homework and use every other waking moment to study for _SATs and SAT IIs and APs_ and all of ridiculous drivel that will hopefully help me get into a **good college**. :) On the upside, I escaped with a 2210 on my SATs, a 710 and 770 on my SAT IIs, and two 4s and a 5 on my AP tests, as well as five As and two Bs for the year. Eh? Eh? So my lack of updating was put to good use, I promise!!

And as for the _summer_, I spent a total of three days at home. Yes. I was at the **Governor's School of the Arts** for creative writing for 9 days, and then family vacationing at the** beach** for a week, and a day later I was on a plane, headed for a six-week adventure in **South Korea**. And then I returned home, school started, and what have you. But I'm getting my but back on track! In part, thanks to my lovely beta **LeSecret**, who was very patient, until I really needed to get into gear, at which point she sent many threatening emails and promised to blow up my house if I didn't update. :) JK JK but she did help, in more ways than just proofreading the chapter. :) THANK YOU!! *hug*

So, in case anyone's **forgotten **what in the HELL is going on in this story, here's a little refesher:

_Sora spoke slowly, thoughtfully, as if the idea had just struck him. "Choose… choose someone, maybe one or two vampires, from your clan… and send them here. We'll negotiate with them. We'll try to end this peacefully…"_

_Riku almost couldn't believe his ears. He was overcome with a refreshing wave of relief, and a smile bloomed on his face. "Sora… we can do this. I know we can…"_

Basically, everyone is dying, Sora is falling apart at the seams, Riku's heart is breaking, Sephiroth is plotting (fufufu, *hint*), and the knights and vampires are preparing to negotiate. :) If that's still not enough, you can check out **chapter 26**.

Again, I'm so so so so sorry. This story is almost done, though! Two more chapters after this to go. Well, more like one chapter, and a surprise at the end. ;)

~Enjoy.

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**.507 AD.**

"You _have _to let me go!" Riku's voice rang in the ancient stone hall, strong but ragged with passion, a bell with a battered tongue.

"_Riku_—" Sephiroth's voice was just as strong, twice as clear.

"You_ have_ to!"

"You're _not_ going."

"_Yes_ I am!"

"_No _you're not!"

It was like two unstoppable, indestructible forces driving into each other; two swords made of the strongest steel, caught in a deadlock, blade hitched on hilt, neither man willing to yield. Currently, they stood frozen, each pair of aqua eyes glaring heat at the other, waiting to see who would be consumed by flames first. They could have waited until the end of time, and by then the argument would have become meaningless anyway.

So Riku spoke. "Who's going to stop me?"

A deathly stillness fell across the hall, across the audience of clansmen. Sephiroth stared, his eyes unsettling, unreadable, and then he laughed, a dark, chilling laugh that made Riku jerk, take a step back, uncertain. "Dear brother," Sephiroth all but purred, "dear, deluded brother." He shook his head, slinking towards Riku, whose every muscle had tensed at Sephiroth's first movement. "You're not going."

Riku seemed frozen, but only for a moment, as the fire flared again in his eyes. "Why not? _ I_ arranged this meeting," he challenged, taking the final step between them until he was flush against his brother. He was forced to look up, as Sephiroth was a half a head taller than he, but that did little to dampen his fervor. "_I _have more right than _anyone _to be there! I _need _to be there! Sora's my…" The word died in his throat.

"Lover?" Sephiroth supplied, his tone hinting at mockery. Riku's eyes narrowed dangerously, and he opened his mouth to respond, but Sephiroth plowed on. "That's exactly _it_," he hissed, no longer mocking. "_Sora_. You're too involved in this, too _emotionally _involved. You have an allegiance to the other side; you can't be expected to properly parley."

"Then I won't say anything," Riku said hurriedly, growing desperate. Despite his brave words, he knew that Sephiroth could and _would_ keep him from going to the meeting if his brother so desired. "Just let me _be _there, let me—"

"Riku, _no_."

"Come on, Sephiroth," another voice spoke up, a familiar voice that ignited a spark of hope inside Riku. He glanced at Kadaj, who had stepped forward from the rest of the clan. "Riku's right; he does have a right to be there—"

"Kadaj." Riku looked back at Sephiroth; his hope fled in fear of the utter loathing in those lucid aqua eyes. _No_, Riku inwardly moaned. Kadaj's protests fell suddenly silent; undoubtedly he sensed the hatred as well. His idolatry of Sephiroth versus his loyalty to Riku—the former was winning out over the latter. He didn't want to upset Sephiroth, not to that extent. Or perhaps it was more a means of self-preservation than a desire to please Sephiroth.

Another vampire stepped forward then, taller than Kadaj, his hair falling in the loosest of waves down his delicate shoulders. "I believe Sephiroth is in the right here," Yazoo said, his voice cool and liquid. "Riku has too much at stake in these negotiations; he is too emotionally invested in them. We cannot afford him messing this up, especially if we want to reach not only peace, but peace that is beneficial to both sides." He spread his arms and sighed tiredly. "Surely, we've been existing in 'peace' for centuries—but our side has been existing in secret, in the shadows, subjugated and inferior, forced to live off of cattle lest we disturb the 'peace.'" The last words left his lips in a sneer. "It is time for a change, and this is the greatest opportunity yet, but we need representatives who are levelheaded, open-minded, and with _our_ best interests at heart."

Riku bit his tongue. There was no arguing with Yazoo's logic, and as he saw other heads in the crowd nod their agreement, his last, faint pulses of hope completely stilled.

"Riku." A hand fell on his shoulder, heavy and cold. He glared bitterly at Sephiroth, but said nothing. "Yazoo, Azzurra," Sephiroth flicked his gaze over Yazoo's female counterpart, hovering nearby, "and myself will go first. Once things have begun, we may be able to call you and a few others in. But we have to handle this very delicately, and you are not the picture of delicacy at the moment."

The tightness in Riku's chest unwound slightly, enough to allow a tense exhale through his nose. "_Fine_," he bit out. "I won't interfere, until you deem necessary," he stepped back and made a mocking show of respect, bowing deeply at the waist, "dearest brother." Then, he vanished.

That had been hours ago; or at least, it had felt like hours to Riku. Now he was pacing up and down the forest's edge, a little more calmly now, but still anxious. The sun had been peeking over the tops of the trees when Riku had arrived at the forest; now it was drooping towards the hills. The hills, beyond which was Sora's castle. Sora's castle, where negotiations were being made that could change the course of human-vampire relations forever. He hoped, with some hostility, that his absence was being put to good use, that his cousins' level heads and his brother's power were efficient enough tools to settle things for good, and settle them for the better.

Riku sighed and finally stopped his pacing. Exhausted by anxiety and so much movement, he collapsed at the base of the tree that still held on to a few of its leaves. The rest of the forest was basically bare. Everything was bare: the trees, the fields—perhaps the whole world, stripped naked by winter's winds. At least, it seemed that way to Riku. He sighed again.

Time crawled slowly by. He tipped his head back and counted the leaves on the tree. One, two, three, four… ten. Ten leaves, shriveled and browned. Ten poor, pathetic leaves. Now nine; one detached and drifted down over Riku's head, landing at his side in the grass. He absently studied the withered veins on the leaf, the veins that were normally healthy and soft and thick, now so void of life. He looked down at his own wrist, but though his skin was paper-white he couldn't see the spiderweb of veins beneath it, a web that he felt should have been there. He knew he had them—he thought he had them; he had blood, in varying amounts depending on the last time he'd eaten, but he had it. So he had to have veins. Only things with veins could die. Like vampires, like leaves, and humans…

Like Roxas, like Cloud, like Sora's parents, like Sora—

He picked up the leaf, held it close to his face. Nine left on the tree, soon to fall, soon to die, just like this one. They were already half-dead, already dying. It was only a matter of time

Everything was dying.

"_Sora… we can do this. I know we can…"_

He tossed the leaf; it landed but a foot away, close enough to mock him.

"_We can."_

Yes, they could. Things could change. They could do it. There would be no war, no more bloodshed, no more violence, no more pain.

"_Sora… everything will be okay. …I promise."_

"_You can't promise something like that."_

No, Sora was wrong. Riku could promise something like that. It would happen. It was happening right now. Things were changing for the better. He trusted Yazoo and Azzurra and, grudgingly, Sephiroth. He trusted Sora and the knights, who were all under Sora's control now. Now that his brother and father were dead. Riku's eyes screwed shut. Sora…

Blood. His vampire nose picked it up before the smoke, but in time he could smell them both, entwined on the wind.

Riku sat bolt upright as a deathly chill wormed down his spine. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Something was…

"Riku!"

Riku jumped as the left side of his body fell, weighted down by a hand on his arm, a hand that had appeared out of thin air. He turned, his eyes widened. "Kadaj…"

Kadaj was filthy, ash and blood on his porcelain skin, his clothes torn, hair tangled, eyes glassy. There was a gaping hole in the front of his tunic, a gaping, bloody hole, hanging limply to reveal a gash in his chest. A gaping, bloody gash. A gash the size of a stake.

Something was very, very wrong

"Riku, go!" Kadaj rasped.

"Go?" Riku's mind raced. "Go where? What happened? Kadaj—"

"Get away from here!" Kadaj hissed, his grip on Riku's arm tightening. "Go, far away… the castle, they turned on us they…" A cough racked his words. Scarlet splattered from his paler-than-usual lips. They were practically blue. "The humans ambushed us—killed Yazoo and Azzurra on the spot. We had a few guards waiting around the perimeter, they moved in when Azzurra screamed, and more came after, but there were too many humans… Hunting tools…a-and…" Another cough tore up his throat. He was trembling all over. He turned his eyes on Riku, terrified, pleading. "Riku, go, get far, far away from here… it's too dange… it…"

Riku was stunned. More than stunned; he was frozen. His insides had turned to ice, so cold it burned, and his heart was struggling against the frost, struggling to move and beat but the cold was taking hold and making it hurt and… "S… Sora," he finally sputtered. "What about Sora?"

Some of Kadaj's typical fierceness flared up in his dimming eyes. "Sora?" The way he snarled the name made Riku sick inside. "Sora led the ambush!"

"No…" Riku wouldn't believe it. Absolutely refused to—

"Seph… Sephiroth told me. I got there later but…he told me. Sora attacked first. Sora and that redheaded bastard… sons of bitches…" Kadaj collapsed heavily onto his knees, curling in on himself.

"Kadaj!" Riku knelt beside him, a hand on his shoulder. His eyes were wide, his jaw slack, his heart racing now, breath short, throat dry, and nonononono…

Kadaj brandished a gloved hand at him. "Go!"

Riku vanished. But he didn't escape to safety as Kadaj had requested, demanded, _pleaded _he do; rather, he went to the castle. He had to. He had to see this for himself. He had to see Sora. He had to make things right. He'd promised to fix this.

"_You can't promise something like that."_

The hell he couldn't.

What an unfortunate choice of words.

If Satan had ever planned to unleash Hell on earth, Riku was convinced that that time was now. He landed in the courtyard of the castle—the crumbling courtyard of the burning castle. The sun was setting, but Riku was sure that wasn't the only reason the sky was red. Thick, viscous, liquid, as if sympathizing with (or mocking) the poor souls below, smudged gray with ashy smoke, dotted orange with floating embers. Aside from the crackling of flames and the pops of hot rock, everything was eerily silent. Riku barely breathed.

There were bodies everywhere, tossed between and crushed beneath bits of rubble, wooden beams, chunks of stone. The pale corpses of his kin were gored with stakes; the ruddier bodies of the humans were covered in oozing bite marks. All, both vampire and human, sustained reddish burns and bleeding cuts and obvious broken bones, their clothes lacerated, their hair tossed about their lolling heads, their skin patched with filth of all kind. Ruined by battle.

Riku only paid these a glimmer of attention, a superficial onceover, nothing connecting with his brain until his eyes fell upon the center of the courtyard. There, he saw a tall, silvery figure hanging heavily over a smaller one. Then the silvery one collapsed, slid to the ground like a ragdoll, its angelic face rolling so that vacant eyes stared at the sky. Dead? Riku couldn't tell from his vantage point, but he thought it was a safe assumption. The smaller figure, back turned to Riku, was unmistakable…

"Sora!"

Sora jerked, but otherwise didn't move. Riku started running to him. He stumbled over a rock, over an arm, over his own feet; how could he not, with the world tilting on its axis as it was? He shook his head, tried to clear his vision, tried to will away the utter aching in his chest, and finally…finally…

"Sora!"

He drew up short a few feet from Sora, too afraid to get closer. It hurt to acknowledge that.

All noise fell away, all peripheral motion ceased—the crackling fires, the floating embers, the rising smoke, the crumbling castle. There were only he and Sora and the blood-red sky yawning endlessly overhead, like a mouth waiting to swallow them whole.

"Sora… Sora, what happened?" He hated the way his voice wavered.

Sora turned then. He seemed to go in slow motion. First his head, Riku could trace his profile, then his neck, showing more of his face. His lips were turned up in a smile, lifting his cheeks, his eyes like blue crescents. His eyes were sad. A sad, tragic smile. Riku's heart started to break.

Then his body turned. Riku could see the crook of his elbow, arm bent as if touching his chest. Sora turned a little more, then a little more, still in slow motion, standing in this soundless, lifeless world, lifeless except for himself and Riku. Then Sora was finally facing Riku and Riku's fractured heart stopped beating.

Sora's fingers, skin split and dirty, were wrapped around the hilt of a stake. The stake was buried deep in his chest. Blood dripped, crawling along his fingers, down his wrist. Though his jaw trembled, Sora continued to smile.

"Hey…Riku."

His knees buckled. Riku lunged forward with inhuman speed, ran into place just as Sora collapsed. Riku collapsed with him and wound up kneeling on the ground, Sora cradled in his arms.

"Sora," Riku shook him gently, urgently, "Sora, Sora…"

Sora reached up and curled his fingers around Riku's shirt. "Riku…" he murmured. He sounded tired, almost sleepy. Sora had never looked so young and helpless, so ancient and weary.

"Sora, what happened?" Riku tried again, his eyes stinging.

Sora nuzzled Riku's stomach with his nose. The stake in his chest jabbed at Riku's side, and Riku's stomach churned. Then Sora looked up at him, still smiling. "Riku, I killed them…" he murmured. Blood dribbled down his chin from the corner of his mouth.

"Why? Why…" Riku was trembling, which made speaking difficult. "Why did this happen?"

Sora shook his head and clutched Riku's tunic more tightly. "I killed… he… killed my parents…" He angled his neck as if trying to see over his shoulder. Riku glanced sideways and saw the figure from before, the one that had been looming over Sora, the one that had dropped like a stringless marionette to the ground. His chest heaved at the sight.

"You killed my brother?" He gazed down at Sora, who was looking up at him again.

"Yeah…" Sora continued to smile that sad, distant smile. Riku wanted him to stop.

"Sora…"

Sephiroth had been… he'd been right. And now he was dead. Because Riku hadn't listened to him? Sora had betrayed him. No, Sora loved him. Did he? He loved Sora. He… Sephiroth was dead. Everyone was dead. Like the autumn leaves. His family was dead. Sora was dying. It was all Riku's fault! It was… wrong. It was all so, so wrong.

Sora flinched when something dripped onto his face. Riku's tears created clean dots on Sora's soiled skin, then streaks as they rolled down the contours of his nose and cheeks. Sora reached up and dusted the backs of his fingers under Riku's eyes, wiping away his tears. "Don't cry Riku…"

"Sora…" He choked on the name, and it came out thick and garbled, colored by sadness and growing anger. He wanted to escape his own skin, within the confines of which was brewing a hellish storm. His flesh crawled with the pain, his bones ached, and his blood pounded against his veins, his skin hot with it.

"Riku…" Sora's grip tightened more, his knuckles white so that the blood and dirt were a stark contrast to their canvas. And then—

And then he went limp, and the life fled his eyes.

Riku grew deathly still. He stopped breathing, stopped thinking, stopped feeling, suspended in time and space, as if in a vacuum, where it was so quiet and he was so alone

—and then the world came crashing down, and he screamed.

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**A/N: **Well, y'all knew it was coming. D: Poor Sora, poor Riku. This is a very complicated story; I'm sorry if anyone's forgotten the finer points since I've left it alone, but hopefully it'll all come together nicely in the end.

In the meantime, DUDE ffn has like completely REVAMPED during my absence and I CAN'T FREAKING NAVIGATE THIS THING ANYMORE. *pulls at hair* Aw well, I'll figure it out. Also, (sorry to any McCain supporters out there, but) YEAH OBAMA 08. :)

That is all.

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